adrenocorticotropic hormone + oral steroids

Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) + oral steroids refers to a therapeutic regimen used primarily for the treatment of West syndrome, a severe epileptic encephalopathy of infancy characterized by infantile spasms, hypsarrhythmia on EEG, and developmental regression. ACTH is a peptide hormone that stimulates the adrenal cortex to produce endogenous cortisol by binding to melanocortin receptors, specifically the melanocortin receptor 2 (MC2R). Oral steroids, such as prednisolone or dexamethasone, are synthetic glucocorticoids that bind to the glucocorticoid receptor to exert anti-inflammatory effects and modulate neural excitability. This combination or comparative regimen is a standard-of-care treatment for infantile spasms. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has conducted research, including a longitudinal cohort study (NCT04104399), to evaluate the efficacy of these hormonal therapies and their impact on cortical excitability using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) as a potential biomarker for treatment response.

Other names

ACTH + oral steroidsACTH + oral corticosteroidsCorticotropin + oral steroidsACTH + prednisoloneACTH + prednisoneACTH + dexamethasone