Excessive hair cortisol concentration as an indicator of psychological disorders in children

Funding Agencies|South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority
Cortisol in hair is a new biomarker assessing long-term hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, which is related to emotion regulation. We compare hair cortisol concentrations (HCC), in clinically referred children with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) (n = 19), children with other types of psychological disorders (n = 48), and healthy subjects (n = 36). We also investigate the association between HCC and irritability, age, and sex. Our results show that children with DMDD or other types of psychological disorders have higher HCC than healthy subjects, p < .001, ?(2)(p) = .39. No difference between children with DMDD and those with other types of psychological disorders was found, p = .91, nor an association between HCC and irritability in the clinical sample, p = .32. We found a significant negative correlation between HCC and age in those with DMDD, r = -0.54, p < .05, but not in the normative sample, r = -0.20, p = .25. No differences in HCC between girls and boys were found in the normative sample, p = .49. Children in need of psychological treatment, including those with DMDD, seem to have dysregulated HPA-axis activity over time. Excessive accumulated cortisol concentrations in hair could be an indicator of a psychological disorder in children.

Lebena, AndreaLinköpings universitet,Avdelningen för barns och kvinnors hälsa,Medicinska fakulteten(Swepub:liu)andle23 (author)
Olsen Faresjö, ÅshildLinköpings universitet,Avdelningen för samhälle och hälsa,Medicinska fakulteten(Swepub:liu)asols47 (author)
Theodorsson, ElvarLinköpings universitet,Avdelningen för klinisk kemi och farmakologi,Medicinska fakulteten,Region Östergötland, Klinisk kemi(Swepub:liu)elvth65 (author)
Coldevin, MaritLovisenberg Diaconal Hosp, Norway (author)
Stubberud, JanLovisenberg Diaconal Hosp, Norway; Univ Oslo, Norway (author)
Zeiner, PalOslo Univ Hosp, Norway; Univ Oslo, Norway (author)
Melinder, AnnikaOslo Univ Hosp, Norway; Univ Oslo, Norway (author)
Oslo Univ Hosp, Norway; Oslo Univ Hosp, NorwayAvdelningen för barns och kvinnors hälsa (creator_code:org_t)

By the author/editor: Braenden, Astrid; Lebena, Andrea; Olsen Faresjö, Å ...; Theodorsson, Elv ...; Coldevin, Marit; Stubberud, Jan; show more...; Zeiner, Pal; Melinder, Annika; show less...

About the subject

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES: MEDICAL AND HEAL ...; and Clinical Medicin ...; and Psychiatry

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