Cushing syndrome (CS) is characterized with extremely visceral obesity. The degree of obesity and body fat distribution in CS and non-CS were determined, as well as the upper arm fat area (UFA) and fat index (FI) by Frisancho AR, and their relationship with body fat compartments determined by the method of Mateigka, total fat mass (TFM), peripheral fat mass (PFM), the rest visceral mass (VM) and their percentages from the total body mass, TFM%, PFM% and VM%. Control group (C) with BMI (22.41±1.81 kg/m2) was examined as well as 33 female CS with BMI (29.66±4.82kg/m2) which were individually matched with 66 obese women (O) by their BMI (29.56±4.76 kg/m2). UFA was not significantly different between C (20.93±7.46 cm2) and CS (23.94±8.69 cm2), but it was significantly higher in O (34.1±10.65 cm2). FI was not different between C (0.37±0.07) and CS (0.35±0.09), but it was significantly higher in O (0.42±0.05). UFA and FI correlated highly significantly with BMI in nonCS (p<0.0001). UFA correlated significantly positively with TFM, PFM and PFM% in CS and non-CS (p<0.0001), but significantly negatively with VM% in CS. FI correlated with TFM in O (p<0.0001), also significantly positively with PFM in CS (p<0.001), and in O (p<0.0001). FI correlated significantly positively with PFM% in CS and in O (p<0.0001). FI correlated significantly negatively with VM (p<0.04) and %VM in CS (p<0.0001). Conclusion: UFA and FI were significantly increased in obese, but not in Cushings, and correlated with the TFM, PFM and BMI confirming them as an indexes of the peripheral obesity, and indicators of the degree of obesity, but not as an indexes of body fat distribution.
