EFFECTS OF PITUITARY ADRENOCORTICOTROPIC HORMONE (ACTH) ON THE HYPERSENSITIVE STATE

Rich and his co-workers noted that certain anatomic lesions in drug hypersensitivity and in periarteritis experimentally induced by horse serum bear a close resemblance to those of the rheumatic diseases. 1 This observation led to speculation as to the possible role of hypersensitivity in the causation of rheumatic fever, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus and periarteritis nodosa. Therefore, when Hench and his group reported the dramatic effects of cortisone and pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in patients with these diseases it seemed possible that the clinical improvement might be due to some change in hypersensitivity induced by these agents. Accordingly, experiments were begun to test the effectiveness of pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone in patients with diseases clearly due to hypersensitive reactions. 2 A brief review of our experience with 23 patients with asthma, 5 with serum disease type of reaction to penicillin, 2 with sympathetic ophthalmia and 2 with ophthalmic and skin sensitivity