Usefulness of cortisol/ACTH ratio (CAR) for diagnosis of cushing's syndrome: comparison of CAR with findings in dexamethasone suppression test

Cushing's syndrome and subclinical Cushing's syndrome (SCS) are conditions of increased cortisol secretion from the adrenal glands. Cushing's syndrome includes adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-dependent Cushing's syndrome (Cushing's disease) and ACTH-independent Cushing's syndrome (AICS). The purpose of this study was to investigate the diagnostic potential of the cortisol / adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) ratio (CAR) for diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome or SCS in adult subjects. This was a single-center, retrospective, observational study. This study enrolled 44 subjects with SCS, 14 AICS, 10 CD, and 248 non-Cushing's syndrome subjects who had undergone a 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test (1 mg DST). Definition of SCS was as follows: no physical signs characteristic of Cushing syndrome and cortisol was ≥ 83 nmol/L in 1 mg DST. The diagnostic potential of CAR for diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome was evaluated by comparing the correlation between CAR and after-load cortisol level in 1 mg DST. As the results, there was a strong positive correlation between CAR and after-load cortisol level in subjects with AICS (r = 0.800, p < 0.005). CAR was 10,040 ± 4170 nmol/pmol in subjects with NCS, 17,535 ± 10,246 nmol/pmol in SCS, 101,221 ± 18,009 nmol/pmol in AICS, and 4324 ± 2051 nmol/pmol in CD, all of which were significantly higher compared to those with AICS (p < 0.0005). The cutoff values of CAR for screening at our institution were 11,849.6 nmol/pmol for AICS (AUC 0.935, p < 0.005, sensitivity 92.3%, specificity 83.5%) and 7006.1 nmol/pmol for CD (AUC 0.714, p < 0.05, sensitivity 100.0%, specificity 46.8%). There was a positive correlation between CAR and adrenal adenoma diameter in subjects with AICS (r = 0.508, p < 0.05), but there was no correlation between tumor diameter and CAR in subjects with SCS and CD. In conclusion, high CAR indicates increased cortisol secretion from the adrenal glands. Since CAR is a simple indicator that can be easily evaluated by general practitioners as well as endocrinologists, we think CAR would be useful for the early detection of Cushing's syndrome.