Cardiac Steatosis in Cushing's Syndrome

Despite skeletal muscle atrophy, Cushing's syndrome patients have an increased Left Ventricular mass, reversible upon correction of the hypercortisolism. This may be due to cardiac steatosis, previously demonstrated in patients with diabetes mellitus. This study aims at evaluating the myocardial triglyceride content and cardiac structure and function, using 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI), in patients with Cushing's syndrome and in age-, sex- and BMI-matched healthy volunteers. The patients will be stratified into two groups in function of the presence or absence of diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose and will be evaluated twice: before and 6 months after efficient treatment of Cushing's syndrome. We make the hypothesis that Cushing's syndrome patients compared to healthy subjects have excess lipid storage in cardiac myocytes irrespectively of the glucose homeostasis status, and that this lipid content will decrease after the correction of hypercortisolism.