INTRAVENOUS USE OF PITUITARY ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE (ACTH)

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Abstract
Gordon1 has recently reported that the increase in response in the eosinophil count and in the urinary excretion of steroids in subjects who received pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) by continuous (12 hour) intravenous infusion was twentyfold when compared to response from the administration of the same dose of the drug given in a single intramuscular injection. With this knowledge, we administered pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone intravenously to 25 patients with diseases generally known to be responsive to the drug. This report summarizes our experience with this form of treatment. We were particularly impressed by the effectiveness of small amounts of the medication when given by this route, for the doses employed were only fractions of the amounts that had previously been required by intermittent intramuscular injection. MATERIALS AND METHODS All patients studied were hospitalized and under our supervision during the entire treatment period. Blood pressure and weight were recorded daily.
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