[Response of several adrenal steroids to rapid ACTH stimulation test in essential hypertension and primary aldosteronism (author's transl)].

Plasma concentration of progesterone (P), 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (17 alpha-P), 11-desoxy-cortisol (S), cortisol (F), 11-desoxycorticosterone (DOC), corticosterone (B), aldosterone (ALD), dehydroepiandrosterone-free (DHA-f), dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHA-s) and testosterone (TEST) were measured in 26 essential hypertension (E.H.) and 6 primary aldosteronism (P.A.) before, 30 min. and 60 min. after the intravenous infusion of ACTH 250 micrograms. Seven E.H. patients were similarly studied in the condition of low and high sodium intake and plasma renin activity (PRA) was also measured at the same time. P.A. showed significantly higher ALD than that of E.H., whereas DHA-f and DHA-s levels of these patients were lower than that of E.H. In men with E.H., TEST level showed step down response to ACTH. Low sodium intake induced a marked increase of ALD and PRA in E.H. In low sodium intake other mineralocorticoids such as DOC and B showed high value at 60 min (20% t value) after ACTh infusion. From these observations, it was suggested that the mineralocorticoids have a good response to ACTh in low sodium intake rather than high sodium intake, especially ALD has a clearly augmented response to ACTh. On the other hand, PRA showed only a reserve response to ACTH infusion.