Rare diseases · Sign or symptom
Increased circulating ACTH level
High blood corticotropin levels
HP:0003154
What it means
An abnormal increased in the concentration of corticotropin, also known as adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), in the blood.
Rare diseases that can present with this18
Very common80–99%
8- 46,XY difference of sex development-adrenal insufficiency due to CYP11A1 deficiency
- Acute adrenal insufficiency
- Addison disease
- Congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia due to STAR deficency
- Cushing syndrome due to ectopic ACTH secretion
- Generalized glucocorticoid resistance syndrome
- Inherited isolated adrenal insufficiency due to partial CYP11A1 deficiency
- Pituitary carcinoma
Common30–79%
7- Classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 11-beta-hydroxylase deficiency
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase deficiency
- Cushing disease
- Thymic neuroendocrine tumor
- Triple A syndrome
- X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy
The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.
Part of the broader category
Also called: Increased plasma ACTH
Tracking symptoms like this for someone? Eleplan keeps symptoms, diagnoses, medications and every specialist in one plan.
Start free with EleplanThis page uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (2026-06-23) — Human Phenotype Ontology Consortium, hpo.jax.org. Disease associations from Orphanet (INSERM), CC BY 4.0. Content is educational and is not medical advice.