If left untreated, the life expectancy of patients with Cushing's syndrome of moderate or severe degree is less than five years, death usually occurring from cardiovascular disease.
In pituitary-dependent disease, occasional patients respond to bromocriptine.
In all types of medical management of the hypercortisolaemia of Cushing's syndrome, circulating cortisol levels must be reduced to normal. This is best monitored by obtaining six samples of blood for cortisol assay in one day, via an indwelling venous cannula. The average of these values for cortisol should be between 150 and 300nmol/l.
