12580 Factitious Cushing’s Syndrome Secondary To Indiscriminate Use Of Brazilian Herbal Medicine: Case Report Open Access

Disclosure: L. Warszawski: None. K.F. Seidel: None. C. Padilla: None. V.N. de Souza: None. J.R. Calmon: None.

Background: Herbal medicines are obtained exclusively from active plant raw materials, which leads people to believe that these medications are safer and free from side effects. Moreira milk is a Brazilian herbal medicine used mainly for its supposed anti-inflammatory properties. This medication is not regulated by The Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa). Herein we report a case of exogenous Cushing's Syndrome (CS) caused by continuous use of Moreira milk. Case report: A 53-year-old female patient was seen in October 2018 at the endocrinology clinic due to progressive weight gain, mood swings, edema and weakness of the lower limbs, violet streaks on the flanks, easy bruising and dorsocervical fat pad. She brought tests to our specialized consultation that showed low basal cortisol (0.4 mcg/dL - RR 5 to 25 mg/dL) and ACTH ( %lt; 5 pg/ml - RR 10 to 60mg/dL), two HbA1c values above 6.5% and a sella turcica MRI revealing normal-sized pituitary gland with a hypo-enhancing contrast area, possibly corresponding to a microadenoma. New tests were carried out which showed the maintenance of low basal cortisol and ACTH. The patient reported background use of losartan and Moreira milk for 2 years - as a phytotherapy to control joint pain after Chikungunya. She denied use of topical, inhalatory or oral corticoids. Exogenous CS was suspected and the use of Moreira milk was interrupted. We proceeded to use prednisone for weaning, which had to be gradual, but the patient progressed with clinical improvement. Conclusion: There are some cases of hypercortisolism associated with herbal medicines, the majority of which are due to contamination with synthetic glucocorticoids, as is believed to occur with Moreira milk. Despite being widely sold in Brazil, because it is not approved by ANVISA, the production cannot be inspected, therefore, can be contaminated. Those cases of exogenous CS are challenging, and misidentifying Cushing's syndrome can result in a series of improper treatments with severe repercussions.

Presentation: 6/1/2024