title: Effect of prolonged administration of CRF on plasma concentrations of ACTH in patients with Addison's disease.
abstract: To investigate the possibility that the prolonged administration of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) might suppress rather than enhance pituitary ACTH-secretion 24-hour infusions (50 micrograms/h) of ovine CRF were performed in 6 patients with adrenocortical insufficiency. CRF induced a heterogeneous behaviour of plasma ACTH concentrations in these hypercorticotropinemic patients but both a sustained increase and a suppression of ACTH was clearly absent at the end of the 24 hour infusion period. Thus, continuous administration of CRF does not appear to be a promising way to control abundance of plasma ACTH concentrations in patients with Addison's disease.
mesh_terms: D000224:Addison Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone