The majority of patients with Cushing's syndrome have hypertension as one of the important findings. There also may be a deficit in cholesterol metabolism, but the mechanism is not altogether clear. Although Cushing's syndrome has been treated with an agent that inhibits cholesterol biosynthesis, it is felt at the present time that surgery is the preferred treatment—first, because the mortality is very low; second, because 25 per cent of cases are due to tumors; and finally, because the long-term atherogenic effects of these inhibitors are not known.