Effects of aminoglutethimide on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal functions

The effects of aminoglutethimide （AG） on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal functions were observed on 10 patients with Cushing’s disease, 10 with simple obesity, 8 with hypopituitarism and 13 normal subjects by measuring the sequential changes of plasma ACTH, serum cortisol, 24-hr UFC, 24-hr 17KS and 24-hr 17KGS. In normal subjects, the levels of plasma ACTH, serum cortisol and UFC after the AG administrations were markedly increased. In patients with Cushing’s disease, the ACTH levels were only slightly increased while the cortisol and UFC levels were consistently decreased following the AG administrations. In patients with hypopituitarism, the levels of ACTH, cortisol, UFC, 17KS and 17KGS were not obviously changed after the AG administrations. The present results suggested: 1.patients with Cushing’s disease had an obvious autonomy in the production of ACTH; 2.patients with hypopituitarism had varying degrees of loss of ACTH production function because of pituitary lesions; and 3.AG administrations and subsequent examinations of hormone changes in blood and urine may be helpful in the differential diagnosis between hypopituitarism and normal subjects or between Cushing’s disease and simple obesity.