Daily Times

Amy Schumer has revealed a private health battle that resulted in a change in her physical appearance.

The comedian says that she has been diagnosed with Cushing syndrome, a hormonal disorder that she developed as a result of taking steroid medication. The 42-year-old made her comments more than a week after sharing she was going through “some medical and hormonal things” while responding to criticism and speculation over her “puffier” face, as seen on recent appearances on The Tonight Show and The View.

“I reached out to Amy after the haters came for her,” journalist Jessica Yellin wrote in the Feb. 23 edition of her News Not Noise newsletter, which Schumer promoted on her Instagram. “She shared that she has exogenous Cushing syndrome brought on by getting steroid injections in high doses.”

According to the US National Library of Medicine, Cushing syndrome occurs when your body has a high level of the hormone cortisol and the exogenous type is typically caused by taking too much glucocorticoid or corticosteroid medicine, or steroids, which are used to treat a variety of other conditions. A common side effect is facial swelling, often dubbed “moon face” and such symptoms typically subside after stopping treatment, which must be done gradually.

“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,” the Life of Beth star, who shares son Gene, 4, with husband Chris Fischer, said in her own words in the newsletter. “So finding out I have the kind of Cushing that will just work itself out and I’m healthy was the greatest news imaginable.”