Study of the adrenocortical reserve function in paediatric cholera patients.

The adrenocortical reserve function of 20 cases of paediatric cholera was studied by intravenous ACTH tests. The findings indicate the presence of adrenocortical hyperactivity, and the poor response to ACTH stimulation shows that the adrenocortical reserve in these cases had been already stimulated to the maximum extent by salt depletion at the time of admission. These findings do not support the value of adrenocortical hormone treatment in cholera.