Altered hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis function: A relevant factor in the comorbidity of atopic eczema and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder?
Abstract
Epidemiological data show a significant association between childhood atopic eczema (AE) and an increased risk to develop attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the underlying mechanisms of the comorbidity of AE and ADHD are mostly unknown. We investigated whether alterations of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function represent a shared feature of AE and ADHD potentiating AE-ADHD comorbidity. Children aged 6-12 years with AE, ADHD, or comorbid AE + ADHD and healthy control (HC) children were examined cross-sectionally (N = 145). To evaluate HPA axis function, salivary cortisol in response to psychosocial stress (Trier Social Stress Test for Children, TSST-C), after awakening (cortisol awakening response, CAR), and throughout the day (short diurnal profile) and hair cortisol capturing long-term HPA axis activity were assessed. Quantile regression analyses showed an attenuated cortisol response (% maximum change) to the TSST-C in children with ADHD compared to HC. A diminished cortisol response to acute stress was also observed in the comorbid AE + ADHD group, in which the reduction was numerically even more pronounced. Contrary to our previous findings, no alteration of the cortisol response to the TSST-C was observed in children with AE. However, in children with AE, increased ADHD-like behavior (i.e., inattention, impulsivity, and overall ADHD symptom severity) was associated with a reduced HPA axis response to acute stress. No such associations…
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In ADHD, low levels of cortisol have been observed in children.
“In ADHD, low levels of cortisol, an important hormone in the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HpA) axis, have been observed in children [102–105].”
From Molecular Characterisation of the Mechanism of Action of Stimulant Drugs Lisdexamfetamine and Methylphenidate on ADHD Neurobiology: A Review (2022) · cites this paper as [103]
Cites
Weidinger, S., & Novak, N. (2016) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(15)00149-x · Cited by 1,908 · see citing works
Association between Stress and the HPA Axis in the Atopic Dermatitis
Lin, T.-K., Zhong, L., & Santiago, J. (2017) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms18102131 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
Kaneko, M., Hoshino, Y., Hashimoto, S., Okano, T., & Kumashiro, H. (1993) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/bf01066418 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Reactivity in Boys with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Hong, H. J., Shin, D. W., Lee, E. H., Oh, Y. H., & Noh, K. S. (2003) · Yonsei Medical Journal · doi:10.3349/ymj.2003.44.4.608 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Quintero, J., Gutiérrez-Casares, J. R., & Álamo, C. (2022) · Neurology and Therapy · doi:10.1007/s40120-022-00392-2 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
- Authors
- Buske-Kirschbaum, A., Trikojat, K., Tesch, F., Schmitt, J., Roessner, V., Luksch, H., Rösen-Wolff, A., & Plessow, F.
- Affiliations
- Technische Universität Dresden (DE)
- University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus (DE)
- Harvard University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Buske-Kirschbaum, A.
- Venue
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2019-07
- Volume
- 105
- Pages
- 178-186
- ISSN
- 0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2905507067
- Cited by
- 33
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 2
- FWCI
- 1.76
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- German Research FoundationGerman Research Foundation (DFG) (BU 747/8-1)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Adrenal Hormones and Disorders
- Keywords
- atopic dermatitis, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, comorbidities, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, salivary cortisol, acute psychosocial stress, stress reactivity, cortisol awakening response, diurnal cortisol rhythm, hair cortisol, children, inattention, impulsivity
- MeSH terms
- Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Child, Dermatitis, Atopic, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Male, Psychological Tests, Stress, Psychological, Comorbidity
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
