Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 7, 2025

Intratracheal Instillation of Stem Cells in Term Neonatal Rats
Published on: May 4, 2020
Salivary cortisol is not associated with dexamethasone response in preterm infants with evolving bronchopulmonary
Tamorah Lewis1,2, Erik A Jensen3, Sherry Courtney4
1Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada. Tamorah.lewis@sickkids.ca.
Objective:
Short-term treatment efficacy of systemic dexamethasone (DEX) in preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is highly variable. Our objective was to assess if salivary cortisol may serve as a reliable biomarker of steroid response.
Study Design:
Multi-site prospective observational cohort study. Salivary cortisol was measured before and after DEX treatment. Respiratory Severity Score (RSS) quantified clinical response.
Results:
Fifty-four infants with median (inter-quartile range) gestational age of 25.1 (24.1,26.5) weeks initiated DEX at 30 (23,48) days' postnatal age. Median baseline and post-treatment cortisol levels were 0.3 (0.2,0.6) μg/dl; 8.3 (5.5,16.5) nmol/L and 0.2 (0.1,0.3) μg/dl; 5.5 (2.8,8.3) nmol/L, respectively. RSS values decreased by a median of 3.1(1.6,5.0) Change in RSS did not correlate with baseline cortisol or change in cortisol levels.
Conclusion:
In this first study to assess salivary cortisol as a biomarker for DEX response in BPD, salivary cortisol did not predict dexamethasone response.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Breathing
Upper Respiratory Drugs: Antitussives, Expectorants, and Mucolytics
Antitussives include codeine, dextromethorphan (Robitussin), and benzonatate (Tessalon). Codeine and dextromethorphan exert their effects centrally by suppressing the cough reflex center in the medulla. Benzonatate operates peripherally within the respiratory tract by...
Adrenal Gland Disorders
Adrenal insufficiency, characterized by insufficient cortisol and aldosterone production, leads to conditions like Addison's disease. This disorder, affecting the adrenal cortex, exhibits symptoms such as skin bronzing, dehydration, low blood pressure, fatigue, and weight loss. Congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a genetic ailment causing...
Antiasthma Drugs: Inhaled Corticosteroids and Glucocorticoids
ICS work through a multifaceted mechanism of action. They suppress the inflammatory response caused by the proliferation of TH cells. They also reduce the transcription of the IL-2 gene, which is involved in the...

