title: Cortisol during the day in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus or primary Sjogren's syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the level and change of cortisol during the day of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) with low and high erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).
  
  
  METHODS
  Saliva was collected in the real-life environment of 21 women with SLE, 16 women with pSS, and 30 age-matched healthy women at 9 fixed timepoints during 2 consecutive days. Repeated measures ANOVA was performed to examine whether cortisol levels during the day were different for the patients with low ESR (≤ 20 mm/h) versus those with high ESR (> 20 mm/h).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The groups with low and high ESR showed the characteristic change of cortisol during the day (time-of-day effect, F = 124.9, p < 0.001). The cortisol awakening level was lower for patients with high ESR than for patients with low ESR (group*time effect, F = 3.1, p = 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The cortisol awakening level differs for patients with low and high ESR, which indicates the usefulness of further studies of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dynamics in patients with SLE and pSS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology (F02.127), University Medical Center Utrecht, PO Box 85500, 3508 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands. m.c.vandergoes@umcutrecht.nl
authors.forename: Marlies C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: van der Goes
authors.forename: Ercolie R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Bossema
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hartkamp
authors.forename: Guido L R
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Godaert
authors.forename: Johannes W G
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Aike A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Kruize
authors.forename: Ronald H W M
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Derksen
authors.forename: Johannes W J
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Bijlsma
authors.forename: Rinie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Geenen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000378:metabolism; D007118:Immunoassay; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000378:metabolism; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone