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Article: Suppression of adrenal function by low-dose prednisone: assessment with 24-hour urinary steroid hormone profiles--a review of five cases.(Case Study: Adrenal Suppression)
- Article from:
- Alternative Medicine Review
- Article date:
- March 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Thorne Research Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Abstract
The impact of the synthetic glucocorticoid prednisone on adrenal steroid hormone production was examined using 24-hour urinary steroid hormone profiling. Five women, who were chronically taking low-dose prednisone, were tested, and the relevant literature was reviewed. As expected, adrenal glucocorticoid production, measured by urinary terminal cortisol and cortisone metabolites, was markedly suppressed compared to reference range values (p=0.03). Urinary cortisol and cortisone, reflecting circulating glucocorticoids, were decreased to a lesser extent than their terminal metabolites. Urinary dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) excretion was dramatically ...