Urinary cortisol and six-year risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.
BACKGROUND
The stress hormone cortisol has been linked with unfavorable cardiovascular risk factors, but longitudinal studies examining whether high levels of cortisol predict cardiovascular mortality are largely absent.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to examine whether urinary cortisol levels predict all-cause and cardiovascular mortality over 6 yr of follow-up in a general population of older persons.


METHODS
Participants were part of the InCHIANTI study, a prospective cohort study in the older general population with 6 yr of follow-up.


METHODS
We studied 861 participants aged 65 yr and older.


METHODS
Twenty-four-hour urinary cortisol levels were assessed at baseline. In the following 6 yr, all-cause and cardiovascular mortality was ascertained from death certificates. Cardiovascular mortality included deaths due to ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease.


RESULTS
During a mean follow-up of 5.7 (sd = 1.2) yr, 183 persons died, of whom 41 died from cardiovascular disease. After adjustment for sociodemographics, health indicators, and baseline cardiovascular disease, urinary cortisol did not increase the risk of noncardiovascular mortality, but it did increase cardiovascular mortality risk. Persons in the highest tertile of urinary cortisol had a five times increased risk of dying of cardiovascular disease (hazard ratio = 5.00; 95% confidence interval = 2.02-12.37). This effect was found to be consistent across persons with and without cardiovascular disease at baseline (p interaction = 0.78).


CONCLUSIONS
High cortisol levels strongly predict cardiovascular death among persons both with and without preexisting cardiovascular disease. The specific link with cardiovascular mortality, and not other causes of mortality, suggests that high cortisol levels might be particularly damaging to the cardiovascular system.
Vogelzangs
Nicole
N
Department of Psychiatry and EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. n.vogelzangs@vumc.nl
Beekman
Aartjan T F
AT
Milaneschi
Yuri
Y
Bandinelli
Stefania
S
Ferrucci
Luigi
L
Penninx
Brenda W J H
BW
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality* / Q000652:urine; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000652:urine*; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors
D006854:Hydrocortisone