[Blood levels of ACTH and cortisol in patients with Itsenko-Cushing disease treated with chloditan].

The authors present the results of examination of the content of ACTH and cortizol in the blood of 55 patients with Itsenko-Cushing disease and of 36 healthy persons. Fifty patients were examined repeatedly after a course of chloditan treatment. Plasma ACTH content was determined by the radioimmunological method, and cortizol -- by the competitive binding method with the help of sets. Investigations carried out showed an increase in blood ACTH and cortizol which proved to be most pronounced in patients with a severe form of Itsenko-Cushing disease. A marked reduction of glucocorticoid function of the adrenal glands with an elevation of ACTH secretion occurred after chloditan therapy. At remote periods after the chloditan treatment ACTH and cortizol secretion depended on clinical manifestations of the disease. It was shown that examination of blood ACTH and cortizol content could be used as an auxiliary criterion in the diagnosis of Itsenko-Cushing disease, in ascertaining the severity of this disease and in the assessment of the efficacy of the treatment carried out.