[Immunoreactive trypsin in the blood serum of patients with endogenous hypercorticism]

Basal immunoreactive serum trypsin (RIT) was determined in comparative study of 46 patients with adrenocortical hyperfunction and 24 patients with hypocorticism for specifying the potentialities of the diagnostic test. Excess of endogenous corticosteroids is accompanied by a marked increase in the RIT serum concentration, this increase is particularly pronounced in Itsenko-Cushing syndrome and in exacerbations of Itsenko-Cushing disease in comparison with its level in Itsenko-Cushing disease remission. The presence of steroid diabetes had no significant RIT changes in Itsenko-Cushing disease. Attendant chronic pancreatitis that developed in patients with adrenocortical hyperfunction had no influence on blood serum RIT content. In patients with adrenal steroid deficiency who did not take glucocorticoids the serum RIT concentration was lower than that in those who constantly used hormones. RIT is increased in cases of chronic pancreatitis combined with chronic adrenal insufficiency. Measurement of the basal serum RIT may contribute to the diagnosis of pancreatitis in patients with hypocorticism but provides no information on this pathology in patients with endogenous hypercorticism.