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Analyses of hair and salivary cortisol for evaluating hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation in patients with autoimmune disease.

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2017-08-30

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Montero-López, Eva
Santos-Ruiz, Ana
González, Raquel
Navarrete-Navarrete, Nuria
Ortego-Centeno, Norberto
Martínez-Augustín, Olga
Rodríguez-Blázquez, Manuel
Peralta-Ramírez, María Isabel

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Abstract

Although many studies have shown that patients with autoimmune disease present a hypoactive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA), controversial results have been described. Our objective was to study HPA axis activity in women with autoimmune disease compared to healthy women. Therefore, we analyzed salivary cortisol over the course of a day, and hair cortisol concentrations from the three preceding months, from 65 women divided into two groups: healthy women (n = 30), with a mean age of 44.70 ± 11.65 years; and women with autoimmune disease (n = 35), with a mean age of 48.26 ± 9.04 years. The latter group comprises women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjögren's syndrome (SS), and systemic sclerosis (SSc). Perceived stress and psychopathological symptomatology were also evaluated. Autoimmune disease group scored higher on the somatization subscale SCL-90-R and lower on the anxiety subscale than the control group. Regarding HPA axis activation, the area under curve for cortisol levels during the day was higher for the autoimmune disease group. In addition, higher cortisol levels in hair were found in the group with autoimmune disease. Our findings show greater short and long-term HPA axis activity in women with autoimmune disease than in healthy women.

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Adult
Autoimmune Diseases
Case-Control Studies
Female
Hair
Humans
Hydrocortisone
Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System
Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic
Middle Aged
Pituitary-Adrenal System
Saliva
Scleroderma, Systemic
Sjogren's Syndrome
Stress, Psychological

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Keywords

HPA axis, Sjögren’s syndrome, Stress, cortisol, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis

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