Hormones
ACTH
The pituitary signal that tells the adrenal glands to make cortisol.
Unit pg/mLTypical adult range < 46 pg/mL
What it is
The pituitary signal that tells the adrenal glands to make cortisol.
Why it matters
Read next to cortisol it says whether an adrenal problem starts in the adrenal gland or above it in the pituitary.
Reading the number
It is drawn early in the morning and the sample has to go on ice quickly or the result falls, so an unexpectedly low value is often the tube rather than you. It is meaningless without a cortisol from the same draw.
What moves it
time of daystresssample handlingsteroid medicationsleep pattern
Read alongside
When to raise it
Worth discussing only together with cortisol from the same sample.
Also known as
On a report in another language.
A lab report names this analyte in its own language. Vitals Vault recognises each of these and files them all under ACTH.
Adrenocorticotrofina Plasmática (ACTH)Adrenocorticotrofina
Catalog entry last updated 2026-08-28. Browse all 165 metrics.