Basal and cosyntropin-stimulated plasma cortisol concentrations, as measured by high-performance liquid chromatography, in children aged 5 months to younger than 6 years

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Cosyntropin, published as a randomized controlled trial.

Measurement of pretreatment cortisol concentrations is necessary to assess effects on adrenal function.

Plasma cortisol concentrations are assay dependent; normal reference range values must be obtained for each assay.

Their objective is to provide these values for children as determined by HPLC.

Why It Was Studied

Topical corticosteroids are the recommended first-line treatment for all severities of persistent asthma and moderate to severe allergic rhinitis.

Potential adrenal suppression resulting from corticosteroid administration necessitates monitoring of children participating in clinical studies.

Who Took Part

The age groups tagged for this paper are infants, young children and children, both men and women.

Two multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies evaluating basal and cosyntropin-stimulated morning plasma cortisol concentrations for patients aged 5 to younger than 12 months with asthma and patients aged 2 to younger than 6 yr with allergic rhinitis using HPLC were conducted.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and multicenter.

The participants were allocated by chance, so the Cosyntropin group and the comparison group should start out alike.

As a double-blind Cosyntropin study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

Some participants received a placebo instead of Cosyntropin, giving a reference point.

Running at several centres spread the Cosyntropin study over different clinics and patient groups.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Asthma, Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid, Cosyntropin, Hormones, Hydrocortisone and Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Cosyntropin.

Its findings take up roughly 5 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 2007 (The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Cosyntropin compound page, all human trials.