11-deoxycortisol, other hormones and pituitary function characteristics in the diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency in the overnight oral metyrapone test
Alexander Krawzow, Mirko Peitzsch, Manuela Bastian, Till Postrach, Lisa Johanna Harms, Elena Novikova, Graeme Eisenhofer, Holger S Willenberg · 2026
Read 11-deoxycortisol, other hormones and pituitary function characteristics in the diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency in the overnight oral metyrapone test by Alexander Krawzow, Mirko Peitzsch, Manuela Bastian, Till Postrach, Lisa Johanna Harms, Elena Novikova, Graeme Eisenhofer, Holger S Willenberg (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/PMC13459089.txt.
Description
Alexander Krawzow and co-authors ask which hormone measurement in the overnight oral metyrapone test best detects adrenal insufficiency. This test checks the pituitary-adrenal axis by blocking cortisol production and watching the response. Their 2026 study re-examines whether three other hormones can match the standard marker, 11-deoxycortisol.
Among 190 study participants who took the test, 67 had adrenal insufficiency and 123 did not. The standard marker performed best, with sensitivity of 83 percent and specificity above 90 percent at its chosen cutoff. The alternatives, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, and corticotropin, all performed worse, though their surges tracked the standard marker. Other pituitary problems also carried information: prolactin deficiency was highly specific for adrenal insufficiency. The authors keep 11-deoxycortisol as first choice while noting possible bias from earlier studies.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Alexander Krawzow, Mirko Peitzsch, Manuela Bastian, Till Postrach, Lisa Johanna Harms, Elena Novikova, Graeme Eisenhofer, Holger S Willenberg |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 29 KB |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |