title: Prematurity, Birth Weight, and Socioeconomic Status Are Linked to Atypical Diurnal Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Activity in Young Adults.
abstract: In a prospective, case-controlled longitudinal design, 180 preterm and fullterm infants who had been enrolled at birth participated in a comprehensive assessment battery at age 23. Of these, 149 young adults, 34 formerly full-term and 115 formerly preterm (22 healthy preterm, 48 with medical complications, 21 with neurological complications, and 24 small for gestational age) donated five saliva samples from a single day that were assayed for cortisol to assess diurnal variation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Analyses were conducted to determine whether prematurity category, birth weight, and socioeconomic status were associated with differences in HPA axis function. Pre- and perinatal circumstances associated with prematurity influenced the activity of this environmentally sensitive physiological system. Results are consistent with the theory of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease and highlight a possible mechanism for the link between prematurity and health disparities later in life.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, University of Rhode Island, White Hall 39 Butterfield Road, Kingston, RI, 02881.
authors.forename: Suzy Barcelos
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Winchester
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI.
authors.forename: Mary C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.affiliation: Center for Primary Care and Prevention, Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, Pawtucket, RI.
authors.forename: Mary B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.affiliation: Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.|School of Nursing and Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Douglas A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Granger
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000502:physiology*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000502:physiology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009511:New England; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry*; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: NICU; allostatic load; disparities; diurnal cortisol; hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA); neonatal care; preterm infants