Sex-specific differences in hpa axis activity in vlbw preterm newborns

van Keulen, Britt J.
Romijn, Michelle
Voorn, Bibian van der
de Waard, Marita
Hartmann, Michaela F.
van Goudoever, Johannes B.
Wudy, Stefan A.
Rotteveel, Joost
Finken, Martijn J. J.

Open link

Publication date

January 2021

DOI

10.1530/ec-20-0587

Publisher

Bioscientifica

Abstract

Objective: Sex-specific differences in hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity might explain why male preterm infants are at higher risk of neonatal mortality and morbidity than their female counterparts. We examined whether male and female preterm infants differed in cortisol production and metabolism at 10 days post-partum. Design and methods: This prospective study included 36 preterm born infants (18 boys) with a very low birth weight (VLBW) (<1.500 g). At 10 days postnatal age, urine was collected over a 4-to 6-h period. Glucocorticoid metabolites were measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Main outcome measures were: (1) cortisol excretion rate, (2) sum of all glucocorticoid metabolites, as an index of corticosteroi...