Amy Schumer, the American actress and comedian, has revealed that she suffers from Cushing’s syndrome, two weeks after being targeted by online trolls for her physical appearance following her appearances on Jimmy Fallon and The View.
After making the rounds on various television shows promoting her latest project, Life & Beth, Amy Schumer shared more details about her health issues in an interview with the News Not Noise newsletter. Following tests that involved “being in MRI machines for four hours straight [and] having my veins shut down from the amount of blood drawn,” Amy Schumer received her diagnosis, which made her feel “reborn.” The star of I Feel Pretty stated that her condition is the type “that will simply fix itself.”
“It’s been a couple of crazy weeks for me and my family. Besides fears about my health, I also had to be in front of the camera for the internet to weigh in. But thank God for that, because that’s how I realized something was wrong.”
Regarding such conditions, the actress said that this type of ailment is “a good example that we never know what someone is going through.”
What Is Cushing’s Syndrome?
According to the University of Navarra in Spain, “Cushing’s syndrome” is characterized by a moon-shaped face, central distribution obesity affecting the face, neck, and abdomen, muscle atrophy of the extremities, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, kidney stones, and fragile capillaries leading to frequent bruising.
What Are the Symptoms?
Symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome may include weight gain, especially in the abdomen and face, and thin and fragile skin that tears easily. Furthermore, the appearance of purple stretch marks on the abdomen, back, and thighs, fatigue, muscle weakness, high blood pressure, mood changes, and elevated blood sugar levels can lead to diabetes.
Diagnosis involves blood tests to measure cortisol levels, 24-hour urine tests to evaluate the amount of cortisol excreted, as well as imaging tests such as magnetic resonance imaging to look for possible tumors in the pituitary gland or adrenal glands.
What Is the Treatment?
Treatment for Cushing’s syndrome depends on the cause and may include reducing the use of corticosteroids, surgery to remove tumors, or medication to reduce cortisol production.
This story was written in Spanish by Daniel Matute in Cultura Colectiva.
