Mass Spectrometry Based Cutoffs for Cortisol After Stimulation Tests

120 healthy controls will perform an intravenous synacthen test in our out patient clinic. We register anthropometric data, and take basal blood screening to assure they are healthy. We take basal blood and saliva samples right before start of the test ( called 0-samples). Then they get intravenous synacthen, and we take new samples at 30 minutes and 60 minutes. They are observed during the procedure. We will then calculate a new cut off value for cortisol after the test, based on the 2.5 percentile for cortisol in this population. We will also calculate the same for 17-OH-progesterone, a parameter we also look at after synacthen test in som patient groups ( patients with hirsutism, who are suspicious of having an enzyme defect in the cortisol synthesis cascade). The saliva samples will also be analyzed for cortisol and 17-OH-progesterone, to evaluate if it is possible to use saliva instead of blood samples in synacthen tests in the future. The advantage of using saliva samples is that they can be used also in patients with elevated amount of cortisol binding globulin (CBG), because it measure the free hormone that is biological active ( not both the free and the protein bound, as we measure in serum samples). This is important in patients on estrogens , and in pregnant women, that have large amount of CBG.

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy individuals not using any corticosteroids .
• Patients with clinical suspicion of primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency. -Patient suspicious of having an enzyme defect ( 21 hydroxylase deficiency) giving hirsutism.

Exclusion criteria

-Use of corticosteroids.