Secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone induced by allergen inhalation in patients with atopic asthma.

Allergen inhalation in atopic patients results in cytokines production or release of preformed cytokines, some of which are known to induce adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretion in experimental conditions. We examined whether allergen inhalation can induce ACTH secretion in vivo. A significant elevation of ACTH levels was observed in 2 and 24 hr after allergen inhalation challenge. However, methacholine challenge with the same degree of airflow limitation did not induce ACTH elevation, indicating that this may not be due to bronchoconstriction per se. Our results indicate that allergen inhalation can trigger ACTH secretion in patients with atopic asthma.