ADRENAL CORTEX RESPONSE AFTER INTRAVENOUS INJECTION OF ACTH IN SEASONAL HAY‐FEVER PATIENTS BEFORE AND AFTER A PROVOKED NASAL CRISIS¹

Abstract

It is well known that adrenalectomized animals show anaphylactic shock more often than controls. Clinical use of ACTH and cortisone has shown the importance of adrenal hormones in allergic diseases. Recent works of many authors on adrenal function in allergic patients report contrasting results, but it is now generally believed that subjects suffering from allergy should have a lowering of adrenal function particularly of the glycoactive fraction. One can say that these subjects show an insufficient metabolism of adrenal hormones. Some authors consider allergic diseases are due to poor adaptation and Selye thinks that the crisis is due to shock and believes the period between the crisis to be due to fatigue.The aims of our research were to study: i) adrenal reŝ ponse in hay-fewer patients not in the acute period when compared with normal ones, 2) adrenal response in hay-fever patients immediately after a provoked crisis when compared to rest periods, 3) adrenal response after a provoked crisis in hay-fever patients after treatment with ACTH, 4) the possible difference of eosinophile count in peripheral blood when compared with blood taken from the shock organ after provoked crisis treated by ACTH.ACTHormon (Richter, Milano) has been used in these experiments.