Physiological concentrations of serum cortisol are related to vascular risk markers in prepubertal children

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Pilar Soriano-Rodríguez1, Inés Osiniri, Pilar Grau-Cabrera

  • 1Clinical Laboratory, Salut Empordà Foundation, 17600 Figueres, Spain.

Pediatric Research
|July 9, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Higher morning serum cortisol levels in children are linked to increased cardiovascular risk markers, including blood pressure and carotid intima-media thickness. These findings suggest early-life interventions may be crucial for preventing adult cardiovascular disease.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Cardiovascular Health
  • Metabolic Syndrome

Background:

  • Cortisol is increasingly implicated in cardiovascular risk.
  • The relationship between physiological cortisol levels and vascular risk in children remains unclear.
  • Childhood cardiovascular risk factors can predict adult disease, highlighting the need for early detection.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between morning serum cortisol and cardiovascular risk markers in healthy prepubertal children.
  • To determine if physiological cortisol concentrations correlate with blood pressure and carotid intima-media thickness.
  • To assess the independence of these associations from other metabolic and anthropometric factors.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study of healthy prepubertal children (age 6.8 ± 0.1 years).
  • Measurement of morning serum cortisol, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT).
  • Statistical analysis to assess associations, controlling for age, BMI, body fat, waist circumference, insulin resistance, serum lipids, and heart rate (HR).

Main Results:

  • Higher morning serum cortisol was significantly associated with increased SBP (n=223; p < 0.001).
  • Elevated serum cortisol also correlated with increased carotid IMT (n=91; p < 0.0001).
  • These associations remained significant after adjusting for multiple confounding variables and showed no gender differences.

Conclusions:

  • Physiological concentrations of morning serum cortisol are associated with vascular risk markers in prepubertal children.
  • These findings suggest that elevated cortisol may contribute to early cardiovascular risk development.
  • Early identification and management of elevated cortisol in children could have long-term implications for cardiovascular disease prevention.

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