Table 2.
Corticotropin-releasing hormone challenge test
| NR | unexplainable-HD | explainable-HD | PD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basal plasma ACTH (pg/mL) | 19.5 (11.9–27.0) | 13.9 (9.6–16.9) | 16.9 (13.5–30.4) | 13.7 (5.5–26.1) |
| Basal serum cortisol (μg/dL) | 8.8 (6.5–10.9) | 6.6 (5.0–7.9) | 5.6 (3.5–7.3) a | 2.2 (0.6–6.7) b |
| Peak plasma ACTH (pg/mL) | 80.3 (68.0–91.2) | 51.5 (41.9–84.8) a | 71.7 (48.1–98.7) | 21.1 (9.8–43.2) b, d, f |
| Peak serum cortisol (μg/dL) | 19.1 (18.6–22.6) | 15.3 (13.3–16.4) b | 12.8 (7.6–16.3) b | 3.0 (0.5–10.2) b, d, e |
| Δ Plasma ACTH (pg/mL) | 62.7 (50.6–80.8) | 39.2 (28.8–67.2) a | 50.4 (32.9–68.4) | 7.0 (2.8–16.4) b, d, f |
| Δ Serum cortisol (μg/dL) | 11.5 (9.4–14.0) | 8.3 (6.9–9.7) a | 6.0 (3.1–7.8) b, c | 0.6 (0.1–3.5) b, d, f |
Data are expressed as median (interquartile range). The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to compare the study groups, and the Steel–Dwass method was used for multiple comparisons. aP < 0.05 and bP < 0.01 compared with the NR group, cP < 0.05 and dP < 0.01 compared with the unexplainable-HD group, and eP < 0.05 and fP < 0.01 compared with the explainable-HD group. ACTH adrenocorticotropic hormone, explainable-HD explainable-hypothalamic disorder group, NR normal response group, PD pituitary disorder group, unexplainable-HD unexplainable-hypothalamic disorder group