Find the Glossary here: http://www.cushings-help.com/definitions.htm

Some abbreviations used on the message boards, articles and throughout the bios are…

Abx: Antibiotic

ACTH: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone. ACTH is a normal by-product of the anterior pituitary gland. It acts by controlling the secretion of the adrenal hormone, cortisol. Produced by the pituitary gland. A pituitary tumor often causes too little ACTH to be produced. Symptoms of ACTH deficiency include weakness, fatigue and gastrointestinal disturbances.

AD: Addison’s/Adrenal Disease

ADH: AntiDiuretic Hormone.  ADH is a critical hormone that regulates water balance in the body by controlling how much water the kidneys release into the urine. Too much ADH secretion by the pituitary causes the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH), in which the salt levels in the body can drop dangerously low due to holding on to too much water. Treatments may include fluid restriction and salt supplementation. Too little ADH results in diabetes insipidus (DI), in which the body constantly produces a clear high volume of urine accompanied by extreme thirst. The treatment is fluids and a medicine called DDAVP.

AHRQ: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

AI: Adrenal Insufficiency/adrenal crisis. Adrenal insufficiency is a life threatening chronic illness. An active and vigorous lifestyle with normal life expectancy is possible as long as the prescribed medications are taken regularly and adjusted when indicated. As with most chronic diseases, adrenal insufficiency demands that the patients take responsibility and develop self-management skills and techniques.

APACHE: Acute physiology and chronic health evaluation

BG: Blood Glucose

BIPSS: Bilateral Inferior Petrosal Sinus Sampling

BLA: Bilateral adrenalectomy. Surgical removal of both the adrenal glands.

BMD: Is often used as an acronym for bone mineral density

BP: Blood Pressure

BS: Blood Sugar (ahem…usually)

BUN: Blood Urea Nitrogen

Ca: calcium

CAT Scan / CT: computed tomography

CBG: corticosteroid-binding globulin

CD: Cushing’s Disease

CCHS: Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome

CI: Confidence interval

CIRCI: Critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency

CRH: Corticotropin Releasing Hormone

CRP: C-reactive protein

CS: Cushing’s Syndrome

CSF: cerebrospinal fluid

DEXA: dual energy x-ray absorptiometry

DI: Diabetes Insipidus

DST: dexamethasone suppression test(s)

Dx: diagnosis

EAA: excitatory amino acid

EAS: ectopic ACTH secretion

EBV: Epstein Barr virus

FSH: follicle-stimulating hormone

GABA: y-aminobutyric acid

GH: Growth Hormone

GI: gastrointestinal

GTT: glucose tolerance test

GTR: gross-total resection

HC: hydrocortisone

hGH: Human Growth Hormone

HPLC: (high performance liquid chromatography) is mass spectrometry. It is a way to take a liquid sample and get it into a mass spectrometer to analyze the sample. The liquid chromatograph is the attachment on the mass spec that does this. It can be done several different ways. But always these are just the machines used to do the job.

HPA: hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal

HPLC: high-pressure liquid chromatography

HRT: Hormone Replacement Therapy

ICD-9: International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision

IGF-1: (also known as Serum IGF-1 or Somatomedin C) is a polypeptide hormone. It belongs to a family of peptides whose levels are regulated by growth hormone (GH) through receptors. IGF-1 is secreted mainly by the liver and has potent growth stimulating activity. Its mitogenic activity has caused interest in its possible role in cancer growth but its present clinical use is for the diagnosis of human growth disorders. Less than 5% of IGF-1 is free and the rest is bound to IGF-binding proteins (IGFBP). The major one in circulation is IGFBP-3.

IPS/P: inferior petrosal sinus-to-peripheral ratio

IPSS: Inferior Petrosal Sinus Sampling

ITT: Insulin Tolerance Test

JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association. JAMA began publication in 1883. It now bills itself as “the world’s best-read medical journal”. However one defines “best-read”, JAMA clearly ranks as one of the two leading general medical journals published in the United States. (The other is the New England Journal of Medicine.)

K: potassium

LINAC: linear accelerator

LH: luteinizing hormone

LO-CHS late-onset central hypoventilation syndrome

LOS: length of stay

LTP: long-term potentiation

MR / MRI: magnetic resonance (imaging)

MSC: Midnight Salivary Cortisol

MSH: melanocyte-stimulating hormone

Na: sodium

NFPMA: nonfunctioning pituitary macroadenoma

NIS: Nationwide Inpatient Sample

NS: Nelson syndrome

OR: odds ratio

PCOS: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

PFS: progression-free survival

Pheo: A pheochromocytoma is a tumor that originates from the adrenal gland’s chromaffin cells, causing overproduction of catecholamines, powerful hormones that induce high blood pressure and other symptoms.

PHOX2B: Paired-like homeobox 2B

PICC Line: A PICC line (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter) is a semi-permanent IV line), which is inserted into a large vein, usually in your arm although other places may be used. This will allow fluids and injections to be given, and blood samples to be taken. It will save you the discomfort of repeated sticks.

PPNAD aka Primary pigmented nodular adrenocortical disease: A rare disease of the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands are small glands located above each kidney. The adrenals make hormones. Hormones are chemical substances formed in one organ or part of the body that travel in the blood to other body parts where they influence how that body part works. Cortisol is one of the hormones made by the adrenals. Cortisol influences body metabolism (how the body converts small molecules to large and vice versa) and can decrease inflammation. People with PPNAD have adrenal glands that make too much cortisol or make it at inappropriate times (when the body does not need it).

PSS: Petrosal Sinus Sampling

RIA: radioimmunoassay

QOL: quality of life

ROHHAD: Rapid-Onset Obesity With Hypothalamic Dysfunction, Hypoventilation, and Autonomic Dysregulation Presenting in Childhood

SIADH: Syndrome of Inappropriate AntiDiuretic Hormone

SPGR: spoiled gradient recalled acquisition in the steady-state

SRS: stereotactic radiosurgery

STR: subtotal resection

TBA: total bilateral adrenalectomy

TSA / TSS: transsphenoidal adenomectomy

TSH: thyroid-stimulating hormone

TSR: transsphenoidal resection

UFC: Urinary Free Cortisol