title: Hair Cortisol Concentrations in Adolescent Girls with Anorexia Nervosa are Lower Compared to Healthy and Psychiatric Controls.
abstract: In anorexia nervosa (AN) hypercortisolism has been described using urine, plasma and saliva samples as short-term markers for the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis. Here, for the first time, we analyse hair cortisol concentration (HCC) as a marker for long-term integrated cortisol secretion in female patients with AN compared to female healthy controls (HC) and female psychiatric controls (PC).
  
  
  
  HCC was assessed in 22 female adolescent psychiatric inpatients with AN compared to 20 female HC and to 117 female PC of the same age range. For further analyses we examined the associations of age and body mass index (BMI) with HCC.
  
  
  
  Log HCC was lower in AN-patients compared to HC (p = 0.030). BMI-standard deviation scores (SDS) but not age correlated with log HCC (BMI-SDS: r = 0.19, bias corrected accelerated 95% confidence interval: [.04, .34], p = 0.015; age: r = 0.10, bias corrected accelerated 95% confidence interval: [-.07, .25], p = 0.213) when combining AN, HC and PC samples.
  
  
  
  We find lower HCC in AN, compared to HC and PC, respectively. Based on the relationship between HCC and BMI-SDS across AN, HC and PC, we argue that HCC might not capture endocrine alterations because of AN pathology-related processes but rather shows consistent relationships with BMI, which extent even to the very low range of BMI values, as present in AN patients. Alternatively, incorporation of cortisol into the hair follicle might have been compromised because of trophic hair follicle disturbances that had been reported in AN patients, previously. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
authors: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, LVR Klinikum, Universitätsklinikum Essen (AöR), Essen, Germany.
authors: Manuel
authors: M
authors: Föcker
authors: Department of Biopsychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors: Tobias
authors: T
authors: Stalder
authors: Department of Biopsychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors: Clemens
authors: C
authors: Kirschbaum
authors: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, LVR Klinikum, Universitätsklinikum Essen (AöR), Essen, Germany.
authors: Muriel
authors: M
authors: Albrecht
authors: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, LVR Klinikum, Universitätsklinikum Essen (AöR), Essen, Germany.
authors: Frederike
authors: F
authors: Adams
authors: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School (MHH), Hannover, Germany.
authors: Martina
authors: M
authors: de Zwaan
authors: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, LVR Klinikum, Universitätsklinikum Essen (AöR), Essen, Germany.
authors: Johannes
authors: J
authors: Hebebrand
authors: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, LVR Klinikum, Universitätsklinikum Essen (AöR), Essen, Germany.
authors: Triinu
authors: T
authors: Peters
authors: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, LVR Klinikum, Universitätsklinikum Essen (AöR), Essen, Germany. Albayrak.oezguer@mh-hannover.de.|Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School (MHH), Hannover, Germany. Albayrak.oezguer@mh-hannover.de.
authors: Özgür
authors: Ö
authors: Albayrak
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015415:Biomarkers; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: anorexia nervosa; biological; childhood; clinical