title: Relationship between hair cortisol concentrations and depressive symptoms in patients with coronary artery disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Concentrations of cortisol in hair, a novel marker of longer-term cortisol status, were compared in depressed versus nondepressed patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).
  
  
  METHODS
  20 mg hair samples of 3 cm length were collected from 121 patients attending a cardiac rehabilitation program, 34 of whom suffered from depressive symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Controlling for age, gender, coronary artery bypass grafting, history of depression, and time since most recent acute coronary syndrome, cortisol concentrations (P = 0.162) did not predict severity of depression. Younger age (P = 0.003) was a significant predictor of depressive symptoms. Perceived stress was not associated with long-term cortisol concentrations (P = 0.161).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cortisol concentrations in hair do not predict depressive symptoms in CAD patients attending cardiac rehabilitation.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Yekta
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dowlati
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Swardfager
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.forename: Paul I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Stan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van Uum
authors.forename: Gideon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Koren
authors.forename: Krista L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Lanctôt