Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Jun;98(4):390-395.
doi: 10.1111/aos.14269. Epub 2019 Oct 13.

Hair cortisol concentrations in chronic central serous chorioretinopathy

Femke M van Haalen  1 , Elon H C van Dijk  2 , Mesut Savas  3 , Joost Brinks  2 , Olaf M Dekkers  1   4 , Greet Dijkman  2 , Elisabeth F C van Rossum  3 , Nienke R Biermasz  1 , Camiel J F Boon  2   5 , Alberto M Pereira  1
Affiliations
Free article

Hair cortisol concentrations in chronic central serous chorioretinopathy

Femke M van Haalen et al. Acta Ophthalmol. 2020 Jun.
Free article

Abstract

Purpose: Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC), a distinct form of macular degeneration, has been associated with glucocorticoid use and possibly also with an increased endogenous activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. To estimate long-term glucocorticoid exposure, measurement of hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) has emerged. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate HCC, as a reflection of chronic endogenous steroid exposure, in a cohort of patients with chronic CSC (cCSC).

Methods: Hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) were determined in 48 patients with cCSC and 230 population-based controls (Lifelines cohort study), not using exogenous corticosteroids.

Results: Increased HCC (defined as >10.49 pg/mg) were present in 2 (4%) patients with cCSC and 13 (6%) controls. Mean HCC values were not different between patients and controls, and no difference in HCC was found between patients with active cCSC disease and patients with inactive disease. No correlation between HCC and urinary free cortisol (UFC) levels in patients with cCSC was found.

Conclusions: This study shows that HCC in patients with cCSC are not elevated compared to population-based controls, and no association between HCC and cCSC severity was found. This finding questions the previous suggestion that cCSC is associated with increased HPA axis activity. In line, HCC do not seem useful in monitoring cCSC disease activity.

Keywords: central serous chorioretinopathy; cortisol; hair cortisol; hypercortisolism; hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Barnes PJ (2006): Corticosteroid effects on cell signalling. Eur Respir J 27: 413-426.
    1. Boyle B, Koranyi K, Patocs A, Liko I, Szappanos A, Bertalan R, Racz K & Balazs C (2008): Polymorphisms of the glucocorticoid receptor gene in Graves ophthalmopathy. Br J Ophthalmol 92: 131-134.
    1. Breukink MB, Dingemans AJ, den Hollander AI, et al. (2017): Chronic central serous chorioretinopathy: long-term follow-up and vision-related quality of life. Clin Ophthalmol 11: 39-46.
    1. Caccavale A, Romanazzi F, Imparato M, Negri A, Morano A & Ferentini F (2011): Central serous chorioretinopathy: a pathogenetic model. Clin Ophthalmol 5: 239-243.
    1. Carvalho-Recchia CA, Yannuzzi LA, Negrao S, Spaide RF, Freund KB, Rodriguez-Coleman H, Lenharo M & Iida T (2002): Corticosteroids and central serous chorioretinopathy. Ophthalmology 109: 1834-1837.

LinkOut - more resources