Glucocorticoid excess (Cushing’s syndrome)
ADULT
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Emergency
If any of the following are present or suspected, please refer the patient to the emergency department (via ambulance if necessary) or follow local emergency care protocols or seek emergent medical advice if in a remote region.
Adult conditions
Pancreatic disease
- Diabetic ketoacidosis - A
- Diabetes and severe vomiting -A
- Acute severe hyperglycaemia
- Acute severe hypoglycaemia -A
- Hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state (HHS) -A
- Newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes –B (call registrar or consultant on call)
- Foot ulcer with infection and systemically unwell or febrile -A
- Invasive infection or rapidly spreading cellulitis of the foot (defined by peripheral redness around the wound >2cm) -A
- Acute foot ischaemia -A
- Wet gangrene foot -A
Urgent cases – (refer to key below)
A – client to present to emergency department immediately
B – client to present to diabetes specialist service within 24 hours. If no specialist service is available, present to an emergency department.High Risk Foot
- Foot ulcer with infection and systemically unwell or febrile
- Invasive infection or rapidly spreading cellulitis (defined by peripheral redness around the wound >2cm)
- Acute ischaemia
- Wet gangrene
- Acute or suspected Charcot
Thyroid disorders
- Hyperthyroidism complicated by cardiac, respiratory compromise or other indications of severe illness (fever, vomiting, labile blood pressure, altered mental state)
- Neutropenic sepsis in patient taking carbimazole or propylthiouracil
- Hyperthyroidism with hypokalaemia or paralysis
- Suspected myxoedema coma (altered consciousness, hypothermia, fluid overload, bradycardia, hyponatraemia)
- Stridor associated with a thyroid mass
- Possible tracheal or superior vena cava obstruction from retrosternal thyroid enlargement
Adrenal disease
- Addisonian crisis
- Suspected or confirmed acute adrenal insufficiency
- Phaeochromocytoma in crisis with uncontrolled hypertension
Pituitary disorders
- All patients with visual field loss (usually temporal and classically bitemporal superior quadrantinopia/hemianopia)
- Pituitary tumour with severe headache
- Pituitary tumour with evidence of symptomatic cortisol insufficiency
- Hyperprolactinaemia with visual impairment or other neurological signs
Oligo/amenorrhoea, hirsutism, acne, female infertility
- Signs in the central nervous system that could indicate a pituitary tumour (visual field defect headaches)
Calcium, electrolyte and metabolic bone disorders
- Acutely symptomatic hypocalcaemia (e.g. tetany) with serum calcium <2.0mmol/L
- Severe symptomatic hypercalcaemia (usually serum calcium > 3.0 mmol/l)
- Hypernatraemia or hyponatraemia with acute confusion/delirium
- Suspected or confirmed diabetes insipidus with hypernatraemia
Paediatric Conditions
Paediatric diabetes
- New diagnosis of type 1 diabetes = polyuria and/or polydipsia and random BSL >11.0.
- Ketoacidosis in a known diabetic with any of the following
- systemic symptoms (fever, lethargy) or
- vomiting or
- inability to eat (even if not vomiting) or
- abdominal pain or
- headache
Growth failure
- Suspected pituitary mass (visual field loss/CNS signs)
- Addisonian crisis (including unexplained hyponatraemia & hypoglycaemia)
- Myxoedema coma
- New onset diabetes insipidus (including unexplained hypernatraemia)
- Hypocalcaemia (including acute rickets) with seizures
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Other useful information for referring practitioners Not and exhaustive list
Minimum Referral Criteria
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Category 1
(appointment within 30 calendar days)- Suspected or confirmed Cushing's syndrome
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Category 2
(appointment within 90 calendar days)- Low risk of Cushing's syndrome
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Category 3
(appointment within 365 calendar days)- No category 3 criteria
Please insert the below information and minimum referral criteria into referral
1. Reason for request Indicate on the referral
- To establish a diagnosis
- For treatment or intervention
- For advice and management
- For specialist to take over management
- Reassurance for GP/second opinion
- For a specified test/investigation the GP can't order, or the patient can't afford or access
- Reassurance for the patient/family
- For other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
- Clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary
2. Essential referral information Referral will be returned without this
- Detailed history including: central obesity, hypertension, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, diabetes mellitus, emotional liability
- ELFTs
- Glucose
- 24-hour urine free cortisol and/or, 1mg overnight dexamethasone suppression test
3. Additional referral information Useful for processing the referral
- If confirmed hypercortisolism and ACTH is suppressed then CT adrenal
- Mid-night salivary cortisol
4. Request
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General referral information
Patient's Demographic Details
- Full name (including aliases)
- Date of birth
- Residential and postal address
- Telephone contact number/s – home, mobile and alternative
- Medicare number (where eligible)
- Name of the parent or caregiver (if appropriate)
- Preferred language and interpreter requirements
- Identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Referring Practitioner Details
- Full name
- Full address
- Contact details – telephone, fax, email
- Provider number
- Date of referral
- Signature
Relevant clinical information about the condition
- Presenting symptoms (evolution and duration)
- Physical findings
- Details of previous treatment (including systemic and topical medications prescribed) including the course and outcome of the treatment
- Body mass index (BMI)
- Details of any associated medical conditions which may affect the condition or its treatment (e.g. diabetes), noting these must be stable and controlled prior to referral
- Current medications and dosages
- Drug allergies
- Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs use
Reason for request
- To establish a diagnosis
- For treatment or intervention
- For advice and management
- For specialist to take over management
- Reassurance for GP/second opinion
- For a specified test/investigation the GP can't order, or the patient can't afford or access
- Reassurance for the patient/family
- For other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
- Clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary
Clinical modifiers
- Impact on employment
- Impact on education
- Impact on home
- Impact on activities of daily living
- Impact on ability to care for others
- Impact on personal frailty or safety
- Identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Other relevant information
- Willingness to have surgery (where surgery is a likely intervention)
- Choice to be treated as a public or private patient
- Compensable status (e.g. DVA, Work Cover, Motor Vehicle Insurance, etc.)
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Notes
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Please note that where appropriate and where available, the referral may be streamed to an associated public allied health and/or nursing service. Access to some specific services may include initial assessment and management by associated public allied health and/or nursing, which may either facilitate or negate the need to see the public medical specialist.
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A change in patient circumstance (such as condition deteriorating, or becoming pregnant) may affect the urgency categorisation and should be communicated as soon as possible.
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Please indicate in the referral if the patient is unable to access mandatory tests or investigations as they incur a cost or are unavailable locally.
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Last updated: 13 June 2023
