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Updated: May 15, 2026

Fecal Glucocorticoid Analysis: Non-invasive Adrenal Monitoring in Equids
Published on: April 25, 2016
Inhaled fluticasone propionate does not influence salivary cortisol when measured with tandem mass spectrometry
Betty S van der Veen1, Maaike Appelhof, Tjalling W de Vries
1Department of Clinical Chemistry, Medical Center Leeuwarden, 8901 BR Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. b.van.der.veen@znb.nl
Abstract:
Long-term treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) may potentially lead to adrenal insufficiency in children with asthma. A sufficient adrenal response can be tested using protocols involving salivary cortisol measurements. In this study, we investigated in healthy volunteers whether inhalation of fluticasone propionate, a frequently prescribed ICS, interferes with salivary cortisol measurement (with tandem mass spectrometry as well as an immuno-assay). We found that inhalation of fluticasone propionate immediately before saliva collection does not interfere with the salivary cortisol measurement when measured by mass spectrometry. These results suggest that patients with asthma using ICS can be included in research protocols based on salivary cortisol mass spectrometry measurements.
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