DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Please give me information on Cushing’s disease. What are its symptoms? How is it diagnosed? How is it treated? — T.D.

ANSWER: A round face resembling a full moon, weight gain — especially in the trunk area, thin skin that’s easily traumatized, facial hair growth in women, loss of periods, erectile dysfunction, an outbreak of acne, purple stretch marks, osteoporosis, a rise in blood sugar and elevated blood pressure are some of the signs and symptoms of Cushing’s disease.

Harvey Cushing was a famous American surgeon who died in 1939. He discovered that a pituitary tumor caused the above signs and symptoms that now bear his name. The pituitary gland is a small gland located on the underside of the brain. It releases hormones that stimulate other glands, like the thyroid, adrenal, ovary and testes, into action. In Cushing’s disease, the pituitary produces too much ACTH, adrenocorticotropic hormone, a hormone that prods the adrenal glands to produce too much cortisone. Excessive cortisone is responsible for all the signs and symptoms I listed.

The appearance of the patient is one big clue to the diagnosis. High values for blood and urine levels of adrenal gland hormones are another clue. An MRI scan of the brain shows the pituitary tumor.

Removal of the tumor almost always cures this disease. Today’s surgery is much different from the surgery of Cushing’s days. Special instruments can be directed to the tumor through the nose or the roof of the mouth to grab it and eliminate it. The surgeon doesn’t have to cut through the skull.

Adrenal gland tumors, not caused by excess ACTH, are another cause of Cushing’s disease. This situation is not as common as is the pituitary tumor. Surgeons remove adrenal gland tumors through an abdominal incision.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: How do I stop seborrheic keratoses from spreading? They are on all parts of my body. Help! Currently I use salicylic acid cream and have used it for more than a year with no results. — J.L.

ANSWER: Tan, brown and, less often, black, raised, circular spots of skin, about an inch in diameter (3 cm) with a warty surface are seborrheic keratoses. They look like they’ve been glued to the skin. They pop up on the back, chest, arms, legs, neck, face and scalp. Their numbers range from a few to hundreds. Their cause is unknown.

Seborrheic keratoses are not skin cancers. They most often don’t hurt or itch. They are unsightly.

Even though you have many, a doctor can scrape them off with a special instrument or freeze them with liquid nitrogen. The treatment can be done in stages. A bountiful crop will take time to remove.

How to stop their spread? I’m sorry to say that no one has come up with a good way of doing so.

As an aside, the sudden appearance of many keratoses might be an indication of a hidden cancer. If it comforts you, I have them too.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Please explain pemphigus. How does one get it, and what is the treatment? — M.H.

ANSWER: Pemphigus is another example of an illness where the body’s immune system turns on its own tissues — in this case, the skin and the lining of the mouth and tongue. Antibodies bombard the skin and membranes of the mouth. Those antibodies make it impossible for skin cells to stay connected to adjacent cells. They pull apart and form blisters. When the blisters break, they leave a raw, painful surface.

Prednisone, a cortisone drug, is the most-often-prescribed treatment. Should it not be effective, other drugs can rein in the immune system. Rituxan is a newer example.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.

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