Adrenocorticotropic hormone
The pituitary hormone that tells the adrenal glands to make cortisol.
What it is
Adrenocorticotropic hormone links the brain's pituitary to the adrenal glands. It varies strongly through the day and needs careful sample handling, so it is a specialist test.
Why it matters
ACTH is interpreted together with cortisol to work out where an adrenal-axis problem sits; it is not meaningful on its own.
This guide is educational only and cannot diagnose you. Discuss results, especially anything outside your laboratory’s reference interval, or that does not match how you feel, with a GP or other appropriately qualified clinician.
This guide is educational only and cannot diagnose you. Discuss results, especially anything outside your laboratory’s reference interval, or that does not match how you feel, with a GP or other appropriately qualified clinician.
How it affects the body
ACTH drives cortisol production, part of the body's stress and energy regulation.
For athletes
Anabolic steroid use suppresses this axis; interpreting ACTH during or after a cycle is specialist territory.
Related tests
No published panels currently list this marker.