Home Waking Salivary Cortisone to Screen for Adrenal Insufficiency

Glucocorticoid prescribing in neurology

Glucocorticoids are commonly used for neurological disorders, but they can have significant adverse effects, including adrenal insufficiency, hyperglycaemia, osteoporosis and increased infection risk. Long-term use of corticosteroids requires the prescriber to plan risk mitigation, including monitoring and often coprescribing. This article highlights the potential risks of corticosteroid prescribing and draws together up-to-date guidance with multispecialty input to clarify ways of reducing those risks. We discuss home blood glucose monitoring and consider a steroid safety checklist to promote safer steroid prescribing.

Salivary Cortisol and Cortisone Can Circumvent Confounding Effects of Oral Contraceptives in the Short Synacthen Test

CONTEXT

Adrenal insufficiency (AI) is usually diagnosed by low plasma cortisol levels following a short Synacthen test (SST). Most plasma cortisol is bound to corticosteroid-binding globulin, which is increased by estrogen in combined estrogen-progestin oral contraceptives (COCs). Women with AI using COCs are therefore at risk of having an apparently normal plasma cortisol level during SST, which would not adequately reflect AI.

OBJECTIVE

This work aimed to test whether salivary cortisol or cortisone during SST is more robust against the COC effect and to calculate the lower reference limits (LRLs) for these to be used as tentative diagnostic cutoffs to exclude AI.

METHODS

Forty-one healthy women on COCs and 46 healthy women without exogenous estrogens underwent an SST with collection of plasma and salivary samples at 0, 30, and 60 minutes after Synacthen injection. The groups were compared using regression analysis with age as covariate and the LRLs were calculated parametrically.

RESULTS

SST-stimulated plasma cortisol levels were significantly higher in the COC group vs controls, while mean salivary cortisol and cortisone levels were slightly lower in the COC group. Importantly, COC use did not significantly alter LRLs for salivary cortisol or cortisone. The smallest LRL difference between groups was seen for salivary cortisone.

CONCLUSION

Salivary cortisol and especially salivary cortisone are considerably less affected by COC use than plasma cortisol during SST. Due to similar LRLs, a common cutoff for salivary cortisol and cortisone during SST can be used to exclude AI in premenopausal women irrespective of COC use.

European Society of Endocrinology and Endocrine Society Joint Clinical Guideline: Diagnosis and Therapy of Glucocorticoid-induced Adrenal Insufficiency

Glucocorticoids are widely prescribed as anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agents. This results in at least 1% of the population using chronic glucocorticoid therapy, being at risk for glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency. This risk is dependent on the dose, duration and potency of the glucocorticoid, route of administration, and individual susceptibility. Once glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency develops or is suspected, it necessitates careful education and management of affected patients. Tapering glucocorticoids can be challenging when symptoms of glucocorticoid withdrawal develop, which overlap with those of adrenal insufficiency. In general, tapering of glucocorticoids can be more rapidly within a supraphysiological range, followed by a slower taper when on physiological glucocorticoid dosing. The degree and persistence of HPA axis suppression after cessation of glucocorticoid therapy are dependent on overall exposure and recovery of adrenal function varies greatly amongst individuals. This first European Society of Endocrinology/Endocrine Society joint clinical practice guideline provides guidance on this clinically relevant condition to aid clinicians involved in the care of patients on chronic glucocorticoid therapy.

An LC-MS/MS-based method for the simultaneous quantification of melatonin, cortisol and cortisone in saliva

Disturbances in the diurnal pattern are associated with several clinical and psychological conditions, including depression and fatigue. Salivary sampling for melatonin, cortisol and cortisone provides a non-invasive method for frequent sampling and obtaining biochemical insight into the diurnal pattern of individuals. Therefore, a new liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based method for the measurement of salivary melatonin, cortisol and cortisone was developed and validated. The method required 250 μl saliva, used isotope dilution methodology and was based on a liquid-liquid extraction for sample preparation, reversed-phase chromatography and multiple reaction monitoring on a mass spectrometer for quantitation. The lower limits of quantification obtained were 0.010 nmol/L for melatonin, 0.5 nmol/L for cortisol and 1.00 nmol/L for cortisone and the limits of detection were 0.003 nmol/L, 0.15 nmol/L and 0.1 nmol/L respectively. The method imprecision was ≤14% for all measurands, and the method comparison showed highly comparable results with high correlation coefficients (all ≥0.964). Potential interference of cortisol and cortisone by prednisolone was observed and could be detected by chromatogram review. Typical diurnal patterns for melatonin, cortisol and cortisone were observed in the saliva of 20 cancer survivors who collected saliva throughout the day.

Diagnosis and management of secondary adrenal crisis

Adrenal crisis (AC) is a life threatening acute adrenal insufficiency (AI) episode which can occur in patients with primary AI but also secondary AI (SAI), tertiary AI (TAI) and iatrogenic AI (IAI). In SAI, TAI and IAI, AC may develop when the HPA axis is unable to mount an adequate glucocorticoid response to severe stress due to pituitary or hypothalamic disruption. It manifests as an acute deterioration in multi-organ homeostasis that, if untreated, leads to shock and death. Despite the availability of effective preventive strategies, its prevalence is increasing in patients with SAI, TAI and IAI due to more frequent exogenous steroid administration, pituitary immune-related effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors and opioid use in pain management. The delayed diagnosis of acute AI which remains infrequently suspected increases the risk of AC. Its main precipitating factors are infections, emotional distress, surgery, cessation or reduction in GC doses, pituitary infarction or surgical cure of endogenous Cushing's syndrome. In patients not known previously to have SAI/TAI/IAI, recognition of its symptoms, signs, and biochemical abnormalities can be challenging and cause delay in proper diagnosis and therapy. Effective therapy of AC is rapid intravenous administration of hydrocortisone (initial bolus of 100 mg followed by 200 mg/24 h as continuous infusion or bolus of 50 mg every 6 h) and 0.9% saline. In diagnosed patients, preventive education in sick-day rules adjustment of glucocorticoid replacement and hydrocortisone parenteral self-administration must be performed repeatedly by trained health care providers. Strategies to improve the adequate preventive education in patients at risk for secondary AI should be promoted in collaboration with various medical specialist societies and patients support associations.

European Society of Endocrinology and Endocrine Society Joint Clinical Guideline: Diagnosis and therapy of glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency

Glucocorticoids are widely prescribed as anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agents. This results in at least 1% of the population using chronic glucocorticoid therapy, being at risk for glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency. This risk is dependent on the dose, duration and potency of the glucocorticoid, route of administration, and individual susceptibility. Once glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency develops or is suspected, it necessitates careful education and management of affected patients. Tapering glucocorticoids can be challenging when symptoms of glucocorticoid withdrawal develop, which overlap with those of adrenal insufficiency. In general, tapering of glucocorticoids can be more rapidly within a supraphysiological range, followed by a slower taper when on physiological glucocorticoid dosing. The degree and persistence of HPA axis suppression after cessation of glucocorticoid therapy are dependent on overall exposure and recovery of adrenal function varies greatly amongst individuals. This first European Society of Endocrinology/Endocrine Society joint clinical practice guideline provides guidance on this clinically relevant condition to aid clinicians involved in the care of patients on chronic glucocorticoid therapy.

Iatrogenic adrenal insufficiency in adults

Iatrogenic adrenal insufficiency (IAI) is the most common form of adrenal insufficiency in adult patients, although its overall exact prevalence remains unclear. IAI is associated with adverse clinical outcomes, including adrenal crisis, impaired quality of life and increased mortality; therefore, it is imperative that clinicians maintain a high index of suspicion in patients at risk of IAI to facilitate timely diagnosis and appropriate management. Herein, we review the major causes, clinical consequences, diagnosis and care of patients with IAI. The management of IAI, particularly glucocorticoid-induced (or tertiary) adrenal insufficiency, can be particularly challenging, and the provision of adequate glucocorticoid replacement must be balanced against minimizing the cardiometabolic effects of excess glucocorticoid exposure and optimizing recovery of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. We review current treatment strategies and their limitations and discuss developments in optimizing treatment of IAI. This comprehensive Review aims to aid clinicians in identifying who is at risk of IAI, how to approach screening of at-risk populations and how to treat patients with IAI, with a focus on emergency management and prevention of an adrenal crisis.

Monitoring adrenal insufficiency through salivary steroids: a pilot study

BACKGROUND

Various glucocorticoid replacement therapies (GRTs) are available for adrenal insufficiency (AI). However, their effectiveness in restoring glucocorticoid rhythm and exposure lacks adequate biochemical markers. We described the diurnal salivary cortisol (SalF) and cortisone (SalE) rhythm among different GRTs and analysed the associations between saliva-derived parameters and life quality questionnaires.

METHODS

Control subjects (CSs, n = 28) and AI patients receiving hydrocortisone (HC, n = 9), cortisone acetate (CA, n = 23), and dual-release hydrocortisone once (DRHC-od, n = 10) and twice a day (DRHC-td, n = 6) collected 9 saliva samples from 07:00 to 23:00. Patients compiled Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Addison disease-specific quality-of-life questionnaires. SalE and SalF were measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Exposure was monitored using SalE for HC and DRHC and SalF for CA. Area under the curve (AUC) was computed. Different GRTs were compared by Z-scores calculated from saliva-derived parameters. Questionnaire results predictors were evaluated with multiple regression analysis.

RESULTS

Compared with controls, all GRTs resulted in glucocorticoid overexposure in the morning. Hydrocortisone, CA, and DRHC-td caused overexposure also in afternoon and evening. Compared with other treatments, CA determined increased Z-score-07:00 (P < .001), DRHC-td determined increased Z-score-AUC07:00→14:00 (P = .007), and DRHC-od induced lower Z-score-AUC14:00→23:00 (P = .015). Z-scores-AUC14:00→16:00 ≥ .619 best predicted questionnaire scores.

CONCLUSIONS

None of the GRTs mimics normal glucocorticoid rhythmicity and exposure. SalE, SalF, and Z-score may be useful markers for monitoring and comparing different GRTs. Excess glucocorticoid in early afternoon best associated with depressive symptoms and worse life and sleep quality.

Heat inactivation of SARS-CoV 2 enabled the measurement of salivary cortisol during COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Salivary cortisol has become an essential tool in the management of cortisol-related disease. In 2020 the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic caused several concerns about the use of saliva, due to the risk of contamination, and a European consensus further discourage using salivary cortisol. To decrease infectious risk, we handled specimens by applying a heat treatment to inactivate viral particles, further evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of salivary cortisol in clinical practice.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Saliva samples were exposed for 10 min at 70 °C, then cortisol was measured using LC-MS/MS. The number of salivary cortisol examinations from 2013 to 2022 was extracted from the local electronic database: those performed in 2019, 2020, and 2021 were analyzed and compared with the historical data.

RESULTS

During 2020 we observed a decrease of 408 (-20%) examinations (p = 0.05) compared to 2019; especially in salivary cortisol daily rhythm and salivary cortisol/cortisone ratio (respectively reduction of 47% and 88%, p = 0.003 and p = 0.001). Analyzing year 2021 compared with 2020 we reported an increase of 420 examinations (+20%, p = 0.01), with a complete recovery of salivary cortisol measurement (considering 2019: p = 0.71). Major differences were observed between morning salivary cortisol (-20%, p = 0.017), LNSC (-21%, p = 0.012) and salivary cortisol rhythm (-22%, p = 0.056). No Sars-Cov2 infections related to working exposure were reported among laboratory's employers.

CONCLUSIONS

We speculate that the adoption of an appropriate technique to inactivate viral particles in saliva specimens allowed the safety maintenance of salivary collections, also during the Sars-CoV-2 outbreak.

A retrospective study on weaning glucocorticoids and recovery of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis

CONTEXT

Glucocorticoids suppress the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis resulting in tertiary adrenal insufficiency (AI). When weaning patients off glucocorticoids there is no consensus on whether to maintain patients on prednisolone or convert to hydrocortisone.

OBJECTIVE

Investigate HPA axis recovery in patients on long-term prednisolone and assess outcome after hydrocortisone conversion.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

Outpatient endocrine steroid clinic.

PATIENTS

Patients on long-term prednisolone referred for HPA axis testing between 2015-2022.

MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURED

1) HPA axis recovery rate in patients on prednisolone demonstrated by normal ACTH stimulation test (AST).2) HPA axis recovery rate sub-analysis of dose-matched patients with confirmed tertiary AI on prednisolone or hydrocortisone.

RESULTS

206 patients on prednisolone were tested for tertiary AI. Of these 176 remained on prednisolone while 30 were converted to hydrocortisone. The overall HPA axis recovery rate for patients on prednisolone after interval testing was 137/206 (66.5%). HPA axis recovery rate in dose-matched prednisolone and hydrocortisone conversion groups was 7/10 (70%) and 2/13 (15%) (p=0.008), respectively. There was no difference in mean (SD) age (67.1(12.2) v 63.4(11.1) years; p=0.464) and baseline cortisol (5.3(4.2) v 4.6(3.1)µg/dL; p=0.648) and median [IQR] glucocorticoids duration (1213[1114] v 2316[4808] days; p=0.693) and baseline ACTH (20.5[29.0] v 16.3[14.8]ng/L; p=0.905) between dose-matched prednisolone and hydrocortisone groups. Follow-up duration in prednisolone group was significantly lower (median [IQR] 348[975] v 667[884] days; p=0.012).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with glucocorticoid induced AI maintained on once-daily prednisolone can recover HPA axis function when weaning. There is no apparent advantage to recover HPA axis function in converting to multiple dosing hydrocortisone.

On Primary Adrenal Insufficiency with Normal Concentrations of Cortisol - Early Manifestation of Addison's Disease

Primary adrenal insufficiency (AI) is an endocrine disorder in which hormones of the adrenal cortex are produced to an insufficient extent. Since receptors for adrenal steroids have a wide distribution, initial symptoms may be nonspecific. In particular, the lack of glucocorticoids can quickly lead to a life-threatening adrenal crisis. Therefore, current guidelines suggest applying a low threshold for testing and to rule out AI not before serum cortisol concentrations are higher than 500 nmol/l (18 μg/dl). To ease the diagnostic, determination of morning cortisol concentrations is increasingly used for making a diagnosis whereby values of>350 nmol/l are considered to safely rule out Addison's disease. Also, elevated corticotropin concentrations (>300 pg/ml) are indicative of primary AI when cortisol levels are below 140 nmol/l (5 μg/dl). However, approximately 10 percent of our patients with the final diagnosis of primary adrenal insufficiency would clearly have been missed for they presented with normal cortisol concentrations. Here, we present five such cases to support the view that normal to high basal concentrations of cortisol in the presence of clearly elevated corticotropin are indicative of primary adrenal insufficiency when the case history is suggestive of Addison's disease. In all cases, treatment with hydrocortisone had been started, after which the symptoms improved. Moreover, autoantibodies to the adrenal cortex had been present and all patients underwent a structured national education program to ensure that self-monitored dose adjustments could be made as needed.

Real world evidence supports waking salivary cortisone as a screening test for adrenal insufficiency

OBJECTIVE

Worldwide, adults and children are at risk of adrenal insufficiency largely due to infectious diseases and adrenal suppression from use of anti-inflammatory glucocorticoids. Home waking salivary cortisone is an accurate screening test for adrenal insufficiency, it has potential to reduce costs, and patients prefer it to the adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) (synacthen) stimulation test. We carried out a service evaluation of home waking salivary cortisone in clinical care to identify implementation barriers.

DESIGN, PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS

Service evaluation in a centre where 212 patients referred for adrenal insufficiency had a waking salivary cortisone. Problems encountered during testing were recorded and patient feedback, via focus groups, collected.

RESULTS

From all patients providing a waking salivary cortisone 55% had a normal test, 23% adrenal suppression, and 22% an equivocal result requiring a clinical centre ACTH stimulation test. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) for the time of the saliva sample was 07:40 (07:00-08:40). The median (IQR) days between collection and (i) delivery to local laboratory was 1 (0.25-2) day; (ii) reporting by local laboratory was 13 (11-18) days. Patients considered the test is "easy to do" and preferred it to the inpatient ACTH stimulation test. The principal challenge to clinical implementation was results reporting to clinicians due to delays at the local laboratory.

CONCLUSIONS

This service evaluation provides real-world evidence that home waking salivary cortisone is an effective, practical screening test for adrenal insufficiency. It identified key barriers to testing implementation that need to be addressed when introducing the test to a health service.

Multivariable Model to Predict an ACTH Stimulation Test to Diagnose Adrenal Insufficiency Using Previous Test Results

Context

The adrenocorticotropin hormone stimulation test (AST) is used to diagnose adrenal insufficiency, and is often repeated in patients when monitoring recovery of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Objective

To develop and validate a prediction model that uses previous AST results with new baseline cortisol to predict the result of a new AST.

Methods

This was a retrospective, longitudinal cohort study in patients who had undergone at least 2 ASTs, using polynomial regression with backwards variable selection, at a Tertiary UK adult endocrinology center. Model was developed from 258 paired ASTs over 5 years in 175 adults (mean age 52.4 years, SD 16.4), then validated on data from 111 patients over 1 year (51.8, 17.5) from the same center, data collected after model development. Candidate prediction variables included previous test baseline adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH), previous test baseline and 30-minute cortisol, days between tests, and new baseline ACTH and cortisol used with calculated cortisol/ACTH ratios to assess 8 candidate predictors. The main outcome measure was a new test cortisol measured 30 minutes after Synacthen administration.

Results

Using 258 sequential ASTs from 175 patients for model development and 111 patient tests for model validation, previous baseline cortisol, previous 30-minute cortisol and new baseline cortisol were superior at predicting new 30-minute cortisol (R2 = 0.71 [0.49-0.93], area under the curve [AUC] = 0.97 [0.94-1.0]) than new baseline cortisol alone (R2 = 0.53 [0.22-0.84], AUC = 0.88 [0.81-0.95]).

Conclusion

Results of a previous AST can be objectively combined with new early-morning cortisol to predict the results of a new AST better than new early-morning cortisol alone. An online calculator is available at https://endocrinology.shinyapps.io/sheffield_sst_calculator/ for external validation.

Salivary cortisol and cortisone in diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome - a comparison of six different analytical methods

OBJECTIVES

Salivary cortisol and cortisone at late night and after dexamethasone suppression test (DST) are increasingly used for screening of Cushing's syndrome (CS). We aimed to establish reference intervals for salivary cortisol and cortisone with three liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) techniques and for salivary cortisol with three immunoassays (IAs), and evaluate their diagnostic accuracy for CS.

METHODS

Salivary samples at 08:00 h, 23:00 h and 08:00 h after a 1-mg DST were collected from a reference population (n=155) and patients with CS (n=22). Sample aliquots were analyzed by three LC-MS/MS and three IA methods. After establishing reference intervals, the upper reference limit (URL) for each method was used to calculate sensitivity and specificity for CS. Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated by comparing ROC curves.

RESULTS

URLs for salivary cortisol at 23:00 h were similar for the LC-MS/MS methods (3.4-3.9 nmol/L), but varied between IAs: Roche (5.8 nmol/L), Salimetrics (4.3 nmol/L), Cisbio (21.6 nmol/L). Corresponding URLs after DST were 0.7-1.0, and 2.4, 4.0 and 5.4 nmol/L, respectively. Salivary cortisone URLs were 13.5-16.6 nmol/L at 23:00 h and 3.0-3.5 nmol/L at 08:00 h after DST. All methods had ROC AUCs ≥0.96.

CONCLUSIONS

We present robust reference intervals for salivary cortisol and cortisone at 08:00 h, 23:00 h and 08:00 h after DST for several clinically used methods. The similarities between LC-MS/MS methods allows for direct comparison of absolute values. Diagnostic accuracy for CS was high for all salivary cortisol and cortisone LC-MS/MS methods and salivary cortisol IAs evaluated.

The Utility of Salivary Cortisone in the Overnight Dexamethasone Suppression Test in Adrenal Incidentalomas

CONTEXT

Guidelines recommend the assessment of cortisol secretion in patients with adrenal incidentalomas (AI) using the overnight dexamethasone suppression test (ONDST). This requires attendance at a health care facility and venepuncture. Alternatively, the ONDST can be done by measuring salivary cortisol and cortisone, which can be collected at home.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to assess the utility of these measurements in patients with AI.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of data from 173 patients with AI who underwent an ONDST and salivary cortisol/cortisone diurnal studies. Serum and salivary cortisol and salivary cortisone were collected at 09:00, late night, and at 09:00 the following morning after dexamethasone. Dexamethasone levels were measured in the postdexamethasone samples. Serum and salivary samples were analyzed with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

RESULTS

We identified a strong correlation between salivary cortisone and serum cortisol after 1 mg of dexamethasone (r = 0.95). Stepwise multivariate regression showed that postdexamethasone salivary cortisone, baseline serum cortisol, salivary cortisone suppression (predexamethasone/postdexamethasone ratio), and sex were the only significant or near-significant independent variables. Performance of predictive indices using these 4 parameters (sensitivity = 88.5%, specificity = 91.2%; kappa 0.80) and postdexamethasone salivary cortisone alone (sensitivity = 85.3%, specificity = 91.7%; kappa 0.77) were comparable when used to predict an ONDST serum cortisol of ≤50 nmol/L. No correlation was observed with any of the other measured parameters.

CONCLUSION

In AI patients, after dexamethasone, salivary cortisone correlates very strongly with serum cortisol in the ONDST and could therefore be used as an alternative sampling method which does not require venepuncture or attendance at hospital.

Diagnostic strategies in adrenal insufficiency

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Adrenal insufficiency (AI) is the clinical manifestation of deficient production of glucocorticoids with occasionally deficiency also in mineralocorticoids and adrenal androgens and constitutes a fatal disorder if left untreated. The aim of this review is to summarize the new trends in diagnostic methods used for determining the presence of AI.

RECENT FINDINGS

Novel aetiologies of AI have emerged; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection was linked to increased frequency of primary AI (PAI). A new class of drugs, the immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) widely used for the treatment of several malignancies, has been implicated mostly with secondary AI, but also with PAI. Salivary cortisol is considered a noninvasive and patient-friendly tool and has shown promising results in diagnosing AI, although the normal cut-off values remain an issue of debate depending on the technique used. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is the most reliable technique although not widely available.

SUMMARY

Our research has shown that little progress has been made regarding our knowledge on AI. Coronavirus disease 2019 and ICIs use constitute new evidence on the pathogenesis of AI. The short synacthen test (SST) remains the 'gold-standard' method for confirmation of AI diagnosis, although salivary cortisol is a promising tool.

Expanding the use of salivary cortisol as a non-invasive outpatient test in the dynamic evaluation of suspected adrenal insufficiency

Background

Adrenal insufficiency (AI) is potentially life-threatening, and accurate diagnosis is crucial. The first-line diagnostic test, the adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test, measures serum total cortisol. However, this is affected in states of altered albumin or cortisol-binding globulin levels, limiting reliability. Salivary cortisol reflects free bioactive cortisol levels and is a promising alternative. However, few studies are available, and heterogenous methodologies limit applicability.

Methods

This study prospectively recruited 42 outpatients undergoing evaluation for AI, excluding participants with altered cortisol-binding states. Serum (immunoassay) and salivary (liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry) cortisol levels were sampled at baseline, 30 min, and 60 min following 250 µg synacthen administration. AI was defined as a peak serum cortisol level <500 nmol/L in accordance with guidelines.

Results

The study recruited 21 (50%) participants with AI and 21 without AI. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics, blood pressure, or sodium levels between groups. Following synacthen stimulation, serum and salivary cortisol levels showed good correlation at all timepoints (R2 = 0.74, P < 0.001), at peak levels (R2 = 0.72, P < 0.001), and at 60 min (R2 = 0.72, P < 0.001). A salivary cortisol cut-off of 16.0 nmol/L had a sensitivity of 90.5% and a specificity of 76.2% for the diagnosis of AI.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates a good correlation between serum and salivary cortisol levels during the 250 µg synacthen test. A peak salivary cortisol cut-off of 16.0 nmol/L can be used for the diagnosis of AI. It is a less invasive alternative to evaluate patients with suspected AI. Its potential utility in the diagnosis of AI in patients with altered cortisol-binding states should be further studied.

Diagnosis and management of adrenal insufficiency

Adrenal insufficiency is the inadequate secretion of glucocorticoid and/or mineralocorticoid secretion from the adrenal cortex. Primary adrenal insufficiency is the result of failure of the adrenal gland and secondary adrenal insufficiency is due to a lack of stimulation via pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone or hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone. Adrenal insufficiency may cause non-specific symptoms. Early detection and testing based on clinical suspicion may prevent subsequent presentation with adrenal crisis. Once identified, a low baseline cortisol (often <100 nmol/L) alongside raised adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) can be enough to diagnose primary adrenal insufficiency. However, confirmatory testing can be done using the cosyntopin (Synacthen®) stimulation test or the insulin tolerance test, which is the gold standard for secondary adrenal insufficiency. The underlying cause of adrenal insufficiency can often be identified via a strategic approach to investigation. Adrenal crisis is a life-threatening medical emergency which must be treated immediately if there is strong clinical suspicion with fluids and corticosteroids otherwise can be fatal. Patients must be educated and empowered to take control of their own medical management.

A New Approach - Home Waking Salivary Cortisone to Screen for Adrenal Insufficiency

Adrenal insufficiency is a common and potentially life-threatening endocrine disorder that can be drug induced or endogenous and of adrenal (primary) or pituitary/hypothalamic (secondary/tertiary) origin.1,2 Of particular concern in drug-induced disease is the patient with glucocorticoid- or opioid-induced adrenal insufficiency. Adrenal insufficiency of any cause is typically diagnosed biochemically with a subnormal morning serum cortisol (the circadian, awakening peak) and serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, followed by or simultaneously with an assessment of the acute (30 and 60 minutes) serum cortisol response to injected synthetic corticotropin (ACTH[1-24]), if clinically indicated.