15. Buffalo Hump
Cushing’s disease can cause general ‘all-over weight gain’ but it can also be responsible for specific deposits of fat. This is due to the way that hormones will normally regulate not only the use of energy and fat around the body but also the order in which fat is burned – this is why some people will have different natural body shapes than others, even with their amount of fat being equal.
In the case of Cushing’s disease, those fat deposits appear around the midsection, around the face, and between the shoulders. It’s this latter position that can lead to the appearance of a kind of lump, which is sometimes referred to as the ‘buffalo hump’. Likewise, the face can also take on a very round and somewhat moon-like appearance.