Measurement of urinary free 20 alpha-dihydrocortisol in biochemical diagnosis of chronic hypercorticoidism
Schöneshöfer, M.; Weber, B.; Oelkers, W.; Nahoul, K.; Mantero, F.
Clinical Chemistry 32(5): 808-810
1986
ISSN/ISBN: 0009-9147 PMID: 3009052 Document Number: 283903
Using liquid chromatography, we estimated the urinary excretion of 20 alpha-dihydrocortisol (20-DH) and urinary free cortisol (UFC) in normal subjects and in 40 patients with Cushing's syndrome of different etiologies. The median normal excretion rate (nmol/24 h) was 174 for 20-DH and 68 for UFC, the 20-DH/UFC ratio thus being 2.55. For patients with Cushing's syndrome, the excretion rate was 1798 for 20-DH and 298 for UFC, the ratio 6.03. We evaluated the effect of acute stimulation of adrenal secretion on 20-DH and UFC by administering corticotropin to six normal subjects. After such stimulation, the excretion rate was 566 for 20-DH and 1238 for UFC (ratio 0.45). Whereas 20-DH excretion rate exceeded the normal range in all patients, six patients had normal or even below-normal values for UFC excretion. Evidently, measurement of urinary 20-DH is a better test for chronic hypercorticoidism than is measurement of urinary UFC, and chronic hypercorticoidism can be differentiated from the acute state by the 20-DH/UFC ratio.