The Present Status of ACTH Therapy in Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: LEO ALEXANDER
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1963)

Article1 March 1963The Present Status of ACTH Therapy in Multiple SclerosisLEO ALEXANDER, M.D., LEO J. CASS, M.D.LEO ALEXANDER, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, LEO J. CASS, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-58-3-454 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptMany investigators have used adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Information being accumulated clearly delineates the effectiveness of such treatment in this kind of progressive disease. In a series of 43 patients treated with ACTH, 18 of whom were compared with controls matched by age, sex, duration of illness, and disability score at the time of treatment and over the preceding 3 to 12 months, the degree of improvement, evaluated in terms of a pre-established scoring system, was found to be statistically significant (1, 2). In a study by Miller, Newell, and Ridley (3) a similar dosage...References1. ALEXANDERBERKELEYALEXANDER LAWAM: Prognosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis: quantitative nosometric study. JAMA 166: 1943, 1958. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. ALEXANDERBERKELEYALEXANDER LAWAM: Multiple Sclerosis: Prognosis and Treatment, Charles C Thomas, Springfield, Illinois, 1961, pp. I-XVI, 1-188. Google Scholar3. MILLERNEWELLRIDLEY HDJA: Multiple sclerosis. Treatment of acute exacerbations with corticotrophin (ACTH). Lancet 2: 1120, 1961. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. 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REDDY WJ: Modification of the Reddy-Jenkins-Thorn method for the estimation of 17-hydroxycorticoids in urine. Metabolism 3: 489, 1954. MedlineGoogle Scholar10. GUILFORD JP: Psychometric Methods, 2d Ed., McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York, 1954, pp. 1-597. Google Scholar11. SOMERVILLELEVINETHORN WHDGW: Electrocardiogram in Addison's disease. Medicine 30: 43, 1951. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar12. LOWNARONSGANONGVAZIFDARLEVINE BWLWFJPSA: Adrenal steroids and auricular-ventricular conduction. Amer. Heart J. 50: 760, 1955. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar13. WEST HF: Acquired resistance to corticotropins. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 15: 124, 1956. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar14. SAVAGEDAVISCHAPMANWICKINGSROBERTSONCOPEMAN OPLJJW: Corticotrophin (ACTH) in rheumatoid arthritis. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 18: 100, 1959. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar15. WEST HF: Acquired resistance to corticotropin, in ACTH: Proceedings of the Sheffield Corticotropin Conference, ed. by West, J. F. Munksgaard, Copenhagen, 1960, pp. 77-82. Google Scholar16. DAVIS PS: Discussion. Ibid: pp. 84-85. Google Scholar17. DEEVEY ES: The hare and the haruspex. Amer. Scientist 48: 415, 1960. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: LEO ALEXANDER, M.D.; LEO J. CASS, M.D.Affiliations: Boston, MassachusettsFrom the Chandler Hovey Unit for Treatment and Research of Multiple Sclerosis, Brooks Hospital, Brookline, Massachusetts; the Multiple Sclerosis Research Clinic, Boston State Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; the Department of Psychiatry, Tufts University Medical School; and the University Health Services, Harvard University.Presented in part at the Sixth International Congress of Neurology, Rome, Italy, September 15, 1961.Requests for reprints should be addressed to Leo Alexander, M.D., 433 Marlborough Street, Boston 15, Massachusetts. 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