high dhea sulfate

[DG0820]

I have just been diagnosed with having a pituitary tumor, which I am taking meds for, however I also have a high level of dhea sulfate 435, I am seceduled to have a CT scan of my abdomin and plevis, I am 43 years old and found all this out because my hair dressser told me my hair was thinning so my skin dr sent me for blood work. I am ok with the pituitary tumor because it seems treatable, however I am a wreck over the dhea level because I have read it could be a sign of adrenal cancer. My question is can the pituitary tumor cause my dhea sulfate level to be high also.

[DG0820]

Thank you so much for responding to my question!! I have alot of questions for the dr. making a list!

[rumpled]

Yes, it can be related to a pituitary tumor - DHEA is higher in those that have Cushing's disease. Ironically, Cushing's disease (pituitary source) can also cause adrenal lesions, so even if they find something on the adrenals, they won't know if it is due to the Cushing's or something else.

Another thing to consider is that myself and many of my Cushing's buddies who had our adrenals removed had normal scans before surgery even though all our adrenals were very abnormal as well, even after surgery, the CTs showed we had normal adrenals (how sad!) so imaging of the adrenals is not perfect. This happened to so many of us and in different countries and states - so if you get a normal scan... take it with a grain of salt.

So make sure you get to a pituitary expert, get copies of everything and read up so you know what is going on.