Striae in Cushing’s syndrome

Abstract

Since the description of the classic presentation of Cushing’s syndrome by Harvey Cushing in 1932, violaceous striae have been regarded as a clinical marker of pathological hypercortisolaemia. Cushing described a case of a 23-year-old woman as “numerous purplish striae were present over the stretched skin of the lower abdomen and also over shoulders, breasts and hips”.¹