Amy Schumer diagnosed with rare health disorder: ‘Something was wrong’
Amy Schumer has been diagnosed with Cushing syndrome.
The comedian, 42, shared the shock health news in Friday’s edition of Jessica Yellin’s “News Not Noise” newsletter, saying speculation about her “puffy face” led her to seek treatment.
Cushing is caused by an excess amount of the stress hormone cortisol in the body. Weight gain, a round face and high blood pressure are among the symptoms. It can be fatal if left untreated.
According to the National Institutes of Health, only 40 to 70 people out of every one million people have Cushing, making the syndrome extremely rare.
Earlier this month, Schumer hit headlines after fans remarked on her altered appearance during promotion for her Hulu series “Life & Beth.”
“While I was doing press on camera for my Hulu show, I was also in MRI machines four hours at a time, having my veins shut down from the amount of blood drawn and thinking I may not be around to see my son grow up,” Schumer said.
“It has been a crazy couple [of] weeks for me and my family,” she continued. “Aside from fears about my health, I also had to be on camera having the internet chime in. But thank God for that. Because that’s how I realized something was wrong.”
“So finding out I have the kind of Cushing that will just work itself out and I’m healthy was the greatest news imaginable,” Schumer added.
Cushing syndrome most often affects adults, usually aged 30 to 50, and is three times as likely to affect women than men.
Treatments for Cushing vary depending on what is causing a patient to experience the syndrome, per the Mayo Clinc.
Medications are commonly prescribed, but surgery and radiation can also be recommended if Cushing is caused by a tumor. It appears Schumer’s case does not require such intervention.
Speaking with Yellin in her newsletter on Friday, Schumer added that she wanted to be an “advocate for women’s health,” as females are constantly being “shamed and criticized of our ever-changing bodies.”
“I want so much for women to love themselves and be relentless when fighting for their own health in a system that usually doesn’t believe them,” she declared.
Earlier this month, the “Trainwreck” star slammed the trolls who commented on her body amid promotion for “Life & Beth.”
At the time, she noted that she suffers from the autoimmune disease endometriosis.
“There are some medical and hormonal things going on in my world right now but I’m okay. Historically women’s bodies have barely been studied medically compared to men,” she said.
“Thank you so much for everyone’s input about my face!” she joked.
On Tuesday’s episode of the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast, the New York native admitted that she believes that the haters don’t like her because she has a different appearance.
“I think they’re mad that I’m not thinner. I think they’re mad I’m not prettier and that I still feel like I have a right to speak,” she sighed. “And I think that they don’t want any women to speak.”
Schumer is married to chef Chris Fischer, with whom she shares son Gene, 4.
