Adrenocortical function in Nigerians with human immunodeficiency virus infection

This study sets out to determine the prevalence of adrenocortical insufficiency in persons with HIV infection by determining the response to low-dose (1 µg) ACTH stimulation. An experimental study involving people with HIV infection and healthy people. The study group and the controls were recruited from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). forty-three newly diagnosed and treatment naïve persons with HIV (23 males and 20 females) and 70 (35 males and 35 females) HIV negative subjects completed the study. One µg Synacthen was given intravenously to stimulate the adrenal glands. Blood was collected for basal cortisol levels and 30 minutes after the injection of ACTH. Cortisol was assayed using ELISA. The mean basal cortisol was 154.9 ± 27.2 nmol/L and 239.9 ± 31.6 nmol/L (p