Impaired Adrenal Reserve in Men with Spinal Cord Injury: Results of Low- and High-Dose Adrenocorticotropin Stimulation Tests
Resource
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation v.80 n.8 pp.863-6
Journal
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Journal Volume
v.80
Journal Issue
n.8
Pages
863-6
Date Issued
1999
Date
1999
Author(s)
WANG, YEN-HO
HUANG, TIEN-SHANG
Abstract
TP-B AU-Wang YH AU-Huang TS TI-Impaired adrenal reserve in men with spinal cord injury: results of low- and high-dose adrenocorticotropin stimulation tests SO-Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 1999 ;80(8):863-6 AB- Objective: To use low-and high-dose adrenocorticotropin ( ACTH) tests to assess adrenal reserve in men with spinal cord injury (SCI ). Design: After an overnight fast, 1μg and 200μg ACTH were injected intravenously at time 0 and 60 minutes between 8AM and 9AM. Blood was withdrawn at 30- minute intervals from time 0 to 120 minutes. Setting: All participants were recruited from the outpatient clinic of a university hospital that is a tertiary referral center. Participants: Forth-two men with traumatic neurologically complete SCI that had occurred more than 1 year before the study. Main Outcome Measures: Serum cortisol response to ACTH at times 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes. Results: Twenty subjects had a serum cortisol response of < 20μg/dL 30 minutes after a 1-μg ACTH injection; 10 of these remained at this level at 30 minutes after a 200-μ g ACTH injection. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of impaired adrenal reserve in persons with chronic SCI. The 1-μg (low dose) ACTH test is more sensitive for detecting subclinical adrenal insufficiency than is the 200-μg (high dose) ACTH test.
Subjects
ACTH test
adrenal reserve
spinal cord injury