ACTH pituitary stress?

ACTH from EDTA plasma.

The ACTH blood test is crucial for diagnosing hormonal disorders such as Cushing's disease and adrenal insufficiency. It measures ACTH levels, which are essential for adrenal function. Abnormalities in ACTH levels can cause serious health problems such as weight gain, high blood pressure and diabetes. Early detection and treatment are essential to prevent complications, making the ACTH test invaluable to physicians and endocrinologists.

Plasma freezing Note: This test can only be done at the lab in Maastricht or Mönchengladbach

The pituitary gland is a gland that controls almost all hormone-producing organs and processes in the body. During stress, the pituitary gland secretes ACTH into the blood.

The Method:
Immunoradiometric assay The blood is frozen directly at -20°C.
ACTH degrades less rapidly in EDTA plasma (t1/2 = 10 h) than in serum (t1/2 = 30 min).
Therefore, we use only EDTA plasma

Conversion factororpg/ml
x 0.22 = pmol/lReference value
(n)
Morning(8am-10am): 2.2-13.2 pmol/lEvening
(8pm-2pm): 1.3-6.6 pmol/lExamination

to clarify adrenal function (Addison's disease, Cushing's disease), Suspected ectopic ACTH production (e.g. bronchial carcinoma)

rash
:Elevated: adrenal insufficiency (Addison's disease), Cushing's disease, ectopic ACTH syndrome, pregnancy, menstruation, stress.

Lowered: Cushing's syndrome, secondary adrenal insufficiency