Really One-in-a-Million?

So they say that Cushing's patient are only five-in-a-million but is that really accurate? Recent evidence would say not. At the most recent endocrinology meeting scientific evidence was presented indicating that people with diabetes, high blood pressure and those who are a tad overweight. Now that number doesn't include those who take steroids for medical purposes or those on steroids, including all those major league baseball players who seem above it all. If we add up all the numbers that certainly adds up to more than five-in-a-million to me. Now I know I'm special but really, I'm not "that" special! Let's take a look at the facts:

• According to a well documented study pituitary tumors occur in 22.4% of the population globally - don't worry not everyone has a problem with them
• At the most recent National Institute of Health Consensus Conference on Adrenal Incidentalomas (another way for one to get Cushing's) it was discussed that at least three percent of adults over the age of 50 have some form of adrenal mass. While most adrenal masses cause no health problems a small number can lead to serious hormonal issues and approximately one out of every 4,000 is malignant!
• Three - five percent of diabetics may actually have Cushing's (meaning that Cushing's may be causing their diabetes) according to a study out of the Department of Endocrinology, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical Center, Israel
• In the December 2003 Issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism shows a link between Cushing's and diabetes and calls for further study
• A study from Europe that is awaiting publication indicates 11 percent of obese people may have Cushing's - meaning that they could be overweight because of Cushing's!
• A study from Japan shows a direct correlation between Cushing's disease and hypertension - could the epidemic in the US be partially caused by Cushing's?

Now let's be real, not all those numbers are hard numbers but even if only one percent of them were that would be at least a couple of million Americans. And we haven't even touched the asthmatics who take steroids as part of the medical treatment or the baseball player and other athletes who think it's cool to hit one out of the park.

In case you don’t know there are approximately:

• 50 – 60 million diabetics in the US
• More than 15 million asthmatics in the US according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• In 2000 there were more than 59 million obese people in the US
• 1 in 4 Americans has high blood pressure

That’s something to think about if you ask me. Don’t get me wrong I like being one-in-a-million but I don’t need to be a “Cushie” to be that!