Morrish D W, Sproule B J, Aaron T H, Outhet D, Crockford P M
Chest. 1979 Feb;75(2):161-6. doi: 10.1378/chest.75.2.161.
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function in a well-defined, carefully selected group of 25 patients with extrinsic asthma was assessed by measuring plasma levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and of 11-deoxycorticol after administration of metyrapone and by measuring the level of cortisol following stimulation with cosyntropin. No difference was demonstrated between asthmatic subjects and 20 normal age-matched controls. In addition, neither the response of the level of ACTH nor of 11-deoxycortisol correlated with the duration of asthma or the severity as assessed in 23 patients by tests of pulmonary function. We conclude that there is no abnormality in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function in patients with extrinsic asthma, and we suggest that previous data suggesting such an abnormality may reflect heterogeneous groups of patients, inaccurate methods, and the variability of normal responses to ACTH and stimulation with metyrapone.
通过测定服用甲吡酮后血浆促肾上腺皮质激素（ACTH）和11-脱氧皮质醇的水平，以及用合成促肾上腺皮质激素刺激后皮质醇的水平，对精心挑选的25例外因性哮喘患者的下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺功能进行了评估。哮喘患者与20名年龄匹配的正常对照者之间未发现差异。此外，在23例患者中，通过肺功能测试评估，ACTH水平和11-脱氧皮质醇水平的反应均与哮喘病程或严重程度无关。我们得出结论，外因性哮喘患者的下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺功能无异常，我们认为先前提示此类异常的数据可能反映了患者群体的异质性、方法不准确以及对ACTH和甲吡酮刺激的正常反应的变异性。
