Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
1996-10-10
pubmed:abstractText
The endocrine system participates in the regulation of the immune and neural systems and therefore hormonal factors probably play an important role in the development and course of multiple sclerosis (MS). Specifically, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system seems crucial because (a) the inflammatory response is accompanied by HPA activation; (b) animal models with an inherited HPA defect are prone to developing experimental autoimmune encephalitis; and (c) most important, corticosteroids are still the most widely used treatment. We administered a recently developed neuroendocrine function test that combines dexamethasone suppression (1.5 mg orally at 2300 h) and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) stimulation (100 micrograms i.v. at 1500 h the following day) and measured the response of plasma cortisol and corticotrophin (ACTH) secretion in 19 patients with an acute exacerbation of MS. These patients had a significantly higher mean plasma cortisol response than age-matched controls (peak minus baseline; 48.1 +/- 10.5 ng/ml [mean +/- SEM] versus 19.8 +/- 4.2 ng/ml; p < 0.05), but the corresponding ACTH values for the two groups were indistinguishable (13.4 +/- 1.4 pg/ml [mean +/- SEM] versus 11.3 +/- 1.4 pg/ml; n.s.). The response range in the patients was broader and we identified six patients with excessive cortisol release (peak minus baseline: 100.5 +/- 14.4 ng/ml [mean +/- SEM]), whereas four patients failed to respond at all. The hormonal response patterns were not related to previous treatments with corticosteroids or other immunosuppressants or to psychopathological features. These results point to a heterogeneity of HPA system function, most likely at the corticosteroid receptor level, which has clinical implications for all those treatments that affect the HPA system and the course of MS.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:issn
0947-7349
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
104
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
31-7
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:8750568-Adrenocorticotropic Hormone, pubmed-meshheading:8750568-Adult, pubmed-meshheading:8750568-Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone, pubmed-meshheading:8750568-Depression, pubmed-meshheading:8750568-Dexamethasone, pubmed-meshheading:8750568-Disease Progression, pubmed-meshheading:8750568-Female, pubmed-meshheading:8750568-Humans, pubmed-meshheading:8750568-Hydrocortisone, pubmed-meshheading:8750568-Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, pubmed-meshheading:8750568-Male, pubmed-meshheading:8750568-Middle Aged, pubmed-meshheading:8750568-Multiple Sclerosis, pubmed-meshheading:8750568-Pituitary-Adrenal System, pubmed-meshheading:8750568-Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, pubmed-meshheading:8750568-Reference Values, pubmed-meshheading:8750568-Reproducibility of Results, pubmed-meshheading:8750568-Time Factors
pubmed:year
1996
pubmed:articleTitle
Heterogeneity of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system response to a combined dexamethasone-CRH test in multiple sclerosis.
pubmed:affiliation
Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Clinical Institute, Munich, Germany.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Comparative Study