Plasma adrenocorticotrophic hormone in Addison's disease and its modification by the administration of adrenal steroids.

The depressant effect of adrenal steroids on the release of pituitary adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) was first demonstrated by Ingle in the experimental animal in 1937 (1). This observation has been confirmed by many investigators (2-7), but not by all (8). In man the clinical, morphological and biochemical evidence for steroidal inhibition of pituitary secretion is impressive but there are few actual measurements of blood ACTH reported. There is substantial evidence for an increased level of circulating ACTH in Addison's disease (9, 10) and postoperative bilaterally adrenalectomized patients (11), but an adequate quantitative evaluation of this activity has not been available. Evidence for an increased secretion of ACTH in the adreno-genital syndrome (12) is also convincing, but similar increases reported in rheumatic fever (13), Cushing's disease (14), pregnancy (14), the early post-partum period (15), and other conditions (16) have not been confirmed. The present study was undertaken to determine the level of ACTH in peripheral blood in Addison's disease and to observe the effects of adrenal steroids on the alteration of this activity.