High cortisol symptoms include weight gain, changes to skin or hair, reproductive changes like irregular periods, and muscle weakness and fatigue.
Cortisol, a hormone produced in the adrenal glands, controls many body functions. It regulates blood sugar and metabolism, supports immune function, controls blood pressure and inflammation, and manages the stress response.
When cortisol levels remain high for a long time, it can lead to Cushing’s syndrome. This rare condition affects about 10-15 people per million each year.
Consistently high cortisol can lead to other complications. It’s important to recognize the signs and symptoms so you can receive treatment. Many cases of Cushing’s syndrome can be cured.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms?
Not everyone with high cortisol or Cushing’s syndrome will have the same symptoms. You may be more likely to have noticeable symptoms if you have high cortisol levels for a long time.
Some of the most common signs and symptoms of high cortisol include:
Weight Gain
One of cortisol’s jobs is to regulate your metabolism. High cortisol levels can disrupt your metabolic rate, or balance between the energy you take in through food and the energy you expend, which causes weight gain. People with high cortisol may have a slow metabolism and gain weight even when not changing their eating habits. High cortisol can also increase appetite. You may notice fat build-up in your chest, abdomen, face, or upper back.
Skin and Hair Changes
People with Cushing’s syndrome often bruise more easily and may develop purple stretch marks on their abdomen, hips, or arms. Cortisol is a glucocorticoid (steroid hormone) that can thin and weaken the skin. Increased cortisol and androgens in Cushing’s syndrome can lead to hirsutism (increased hair growth), often on the face and neck. High cortisol can also disrupt normal hair growth, which causes hair loss or balding.
Mental Health Changes
Anxiety, depression, and mood swings are common symptoms of high cortisol, but experts are not sure exactly how it causes psychiatric symptoms. Cortisol likely affects changes in the brain that cause anxiety, depression, and even insomnia. Living with a serious illness like Cushing’s syndrome can also negatively affect mood due to stress and uncertainty. At least half of people with Cushing’s syndrome have a major depressive disorder.
Fatigue and Weakness
You may feel generally more tired and weak than normal and have targeted muscle weakness. High cortisol levels can cause muscle atrophy over time, which weakens the shoulders, hips, and thighs and makes movement difficult. There’s also mental fatigue with Cushing’s syndrome, which can persist even into remission. Many people with Cushing’s syndrome have depression, of which fatigue is common, and have to work harder both physically and mentally in daily life.