Abstract
Objective
To examine whether early inflammation is related to cortisol levels at 18 months corrected age (CA) in children born very preterm.
Study Design
Infants born ≤ 32 weeks gestational age were recruited in the NICU, and placental histopathology, MRI, and chart review were obtained. At 18 months CA developmental assessment and collection of 3 salivary cortisol samples were carried out. Generalized least squares was used to analyze data from 85 infants providing 222 cortisol samples.
Results
Infants exposed to chorioamnionitis with funisitis had a significantly different pattern of cortisol across the samples compared to infants with chorioamnionitis alone or no prenatal inflammation (F[4,139] = 7.3996, P <.0001). Postnatal infections, necrotizing enterocolitis and chronic lung disease were not significantly associated with the cortisol pattern at 18 months CA.
Conclusion
In children born very preterm, prenatal inflammatory stress may contribute to altered programming of the HPA axis.
Keywords: preterm, chorioamnionitis, funisitis, premature infants, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, infection, cortisol, stress
To examine whether early inflammation is related to cortisol levels at 18 months corrected age (CA) in children born very preterm.
Study Design
Infants born ≤ 32 weeks gestational age were recruited in the NICU, and placental histopathology, MRI, and chart review were obtained. At 18 months CA developmental assessment and collection of 3 salivary cortisol samples were carried out. Generalized least squares was used to analyze data from 85 infants providing 222 cortisol samples.
Results
Infants exposed to chorioamnionitis with funisitis had a significantly different pattern of cortisol across the samples compared to infants with chorioamnionitis alone or no prenatal inflammation (F[4,139] = 7.3996, P <.0001). Postnatal infections, necrotizing enterocolitis and chronic lung disease were not significantly associated with the cortisol pattern at 18 months CA.
Conclusion
In children born very preterm, prenatal inflammatory stress may contribute to altered programming of the HPA axis.
Keywords: preterm, chorioamnionitis, funisitis, premature infants, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, infection, cortisol, stress
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 647-651 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Journal of Perinatology |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| Early online date | 04 Apr 2013 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Aug 2013 |