Lack of association between cortisol hypersecretion and nonsuppression on the DST in patients with Alzheimer's disease

Among 23 patients with Alzheimer's disease, 11 (48%) exhibited cortisol hypersecretion (> or = 11.8 micrograms/dl) and nine (39%) displayed cortisol nonsuppression on the dexamethasone suppression test. Only four patients exhibited both neuroendocrine abnormalities, demonstrating a lack of association between these two neuroendocrine disturbances of over 50%. Twenty-two of the 23 patients were studied for 4 1/2 years, and 14 died during that period. Six of the eight surviving patients exhibited cortisol hypersecretion without cortisol nonsuppression.