Behaviour problems and cortisol levels in very-low-birth-weight children

Abstract

Background. There are still diverging results concerning the behaviour of children with very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) and they have been questioned to display different levels of stress hormone than normal-birth-weight (NBW) children. Aims. This study examined behaviour and the stress hormone cortisol in children with VLBW at the ages of 7 and 9 years compared with children with NBW. Results. Fifty-one VLBW and 50 NBW children were studied with the Child Behavior Checklist. Cortisol rhythm was measured through saliva samples three times a day for 2 days. VLBW children displayed more behavioural problems than NBW children, specifically social and attention problems, although still within normal ranges. They showed lower cortisol levels both at 7 and 9 years of age. No strong association between behaviour and cortisol levels was shown. Conclusion. VLBW children display more behaviour problems compared with NBW children but both groups score are within the normal range. Down-regulation of their hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function in terms of lower cortisol levels is also noted.

Salivary and hair glucocorticoids and sleep in very preterm children during school age

“…Compared to full-term children, very preterm children showed lower post-awakening S1 and AUC G , which is consistent with prior studies reporting downregulation of HPA axis activity in very preterm children (Kaseva et al, 2014;Perkinson-Gloor et al, 2015;Wadsby et al, 2014). Also consistent with down-regulation of the HPA axis in very preterm children, we found lower hair cortisone, but not hair cortisol, levels in very preterm compared to fullterm children, which is similar to a study reporting lower hair cortisol in preterm children (Grunau et al, 2013).…”

“…School aged children born very preterm or with very-low-birth-weight (VLBW; < 1500 g) show lower diurnal cortisol profiles (Wadsby et al, 2014), faster decreasing cortisol levels in the evening , and decreased salivary cortisol responses to social stress (Buske-Kirschbaum et al, 2007), which is also consistent with findings in adults (Kaseva et al, 2014). Relatedly, boys born very preterm exposed to more distressing medical procedures had lower diurnal cortisol levels at age 7 (Brummelte et al, 2015).…”

“…Fernandez-Mendoza et al, 2014), while children born very preterm often showed both poor sleep and decreased HPA axis activity (e.g. Wadsby et al, 2014).…”

“…A first mechanism which may contribute to down-regulation of HPA axis activity in very preterm children may be long-term habituation related to prolonged exposure to stress during the postnatal phase involving medical complications and distressing treatments related to premature birth (Kaseva et al, 2014;Wadsby et al, 2014). Consistent with these findings, one study reported lower cortisol levels in school-age children who had more neonatal pain and stress related to a higher number of skin-breaking procedures after birth compared to children with less skin-breaking procedures (Brummelte et al, 2015).…”

Stress : Clinical and Developmental Aspects of Salivary Cortisol in Infants

“…It is well known that long-term elevation of cortisol levels is associated with various health problems including diabetes, hypertension, depression, behavioral problems, and cognitive impairment (memory, learning and concentration deficiencies) [51,[104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111]. To adequately aid these fragile but otherwise normal infants with both individualized care for the child and support to the caregiver, further investigations and advances are critical.…”