Rare diseases · Sign or symptom
Increased circulating cortisol level
HP:0003118
What it means
Overproduction of the hormone of cortisol by the adrenal cortex, resulting in a characteristic combination of clinical symptoms termed Cushing syndrome, with truncal obesity, a round, full face, striae atrophicae and acne, muscle weakness, and other features.
In everyday care
Most people with this sign do not have a rare disease — it appears in common conditions far more often. These general reference pages cover the same topic:
Rare diseases that can present with this26
Very common80–99%
6Common30–79%
5Sometimes5–29%
7The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.
Part of the broader category
Also called: Cushing syndrome · Hypercortisolism · Increased cortisol production
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Start free with EleplanThis page uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (2026-06-23) — Human Phenotype Ontology Consortium, hpo.jax.org. Disease associations from Orphanet (INSERM), CC BY 4.0. Content is educational and is not medical advice.