Short synACTHen Test (SST)

Availability:
North Devon District Hospital (Mon-Fri)

Clinical Indication
Investigation of Addison’s disease; primary hypoadrenalism

Procedure
Obtain basal sample for analysis between 08:00 – 10:00 hrs
Administer 250ug dose of SynACTHen (36ug/kg bodyweight for children) intramuscularly
Collect 2^nd sample for cortisol analysis 30 minutes post synACTHen

Clinical Report
An increase in cortisol concentration is expected. A normal response is a cortisol >420nmol/L in a 30 minute sample.
Consider pituitary failure if the baseline cortisol is low, especially <170nmol/L

Factors which may affect interpretation
Prednisolone, oral contraceptives and steroid administration may affect results interpretation