Alterations in Cortisol Secretory Dynamics in Adolescent Girls with Anorexia Nervosa and Effects on Bone Metabolism

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with low bone density in adolescents and adults. Hypercortisolemia has been reported in adults with this disorder and has been hypothesized to be a factor in bone loss. However, the secretory dynamics of cortisol in adolescents with AN and the contribution of alterations in cortisol secretion to bone metabolism in AN have not been examined. We examined the dynamics of cortisol secretion by Cluster and deconvolutional analysis in 23 girls with AN and 21 healthy adolescents of comparable age and maturity. Cortisol sampling was performed every 30 min for 12 h overnight. Twenty-four-hour urinary free cortisol (UFC) and creatinine (cr) were obtained for all subjects. The surface area (SA) of the subjects was calculated. Markers of bone turnover (type 1 procollagen, osteocalcin, and N-telopeptide) were examined. Subjects with AN were prospectively followed over 1 yr, and those who recovered weight (defined as a 10% increase in body mass index) were again studied. On Cluster analysis, girls with AN had significantly higher mean cortisol (8.6 +/- 2.0 vs. 5.9 +/- 1.1 microg/dl; P < 0.0001), nadir cortisol (5.5 +/- 2.3 vs. 3.4 +/- 1.2 microg/dl; P = 0.0008), valley mean cortisol (7.0 +/- 2.7 vs. 4.7 +/- 1.5 microg/dl; P = 0.001), peak amplitude (12.6 +/- 4.4 vs. 7.8 +/- 3.0 microg/dl; P = 0.0004), peak area (652 +/- 501 vs. 340 +/- 238 microg/dl; P = 0.02), and total area under the curve (6112 +/- 1467 vs. 4117 +/- 802 microg/dl; P < 0.0001) than healthy adolescents. On deconvolutional analysis, the frequency of nocturnal secretory bursts (7.0 +/- 1.2 vs. 5.8 +/- 1.3 /12 h; P = 0.001), total nocturnal pulsatile cortisol secretion (69.3 +/- 14.7 vs. 53.9 +/- 11.1 microg/dl; P = 0.0003), and total cortisol secretion (89.6 +/- 18.8 vs. 71.2 +/- 17.6 microg/dl; P = 0.002) were significantly higher in girls with AN than in healthy controls. Cortisol half-life trended higher in girls with AN. However, basal cortisol secretion and approximate entropy did not differ between the groups. UFC/cr and UFC/cr.SA were significantly higher in girls with AN than in controls [0.050 +/- 0.028 vs. 0.036 +/- 0.017 (P = 0.04) and 0.035 +/- 0.020 vs. 0.023 +/- 0.012 (P = 0.03)]. Six of 23 girls with AN had UFC/cr.SA values that were more than 2 sd above those in healthy controls. An inverse correlation was noted between measures of cortisol concentration as well as pulsatile secretion and measures of nutritional status (body mass index, fat mass, leptin, insulin, and IGF-I). An oral glucose load suppressed cortisol levels in healthy adolescents, but not in AN patients. Weight recovery was associated with a significant decrease in the number of secretory bursts. In girls with AN, strong inverse correlations were noted between levels of cortisol (mean, nadir, and total area under the curve) and levels of markers of bone formation (C-terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen and osteocalcin). Conversely, in healthy controls, cortisol values did not predict levels of markers of bone turnover. Adolescent girls with...

Wybrane cytokiny prozapalne, metabolizm kostny, osteoprotegeryna i ligand receptora aktywatora czynnika jądrowego-kB u dziewcząt z jadłowstrętem psychicznym

“…Girls with AN usually exhibit suppression of bone formation and resorption markers, which correlates with BMI and/or BMD, and indicates a decrease in bone turnover [46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63]. It was also observed that an increase in serum OPG correlated negatively with BMI and/or BMD [51,[58][59][60][61][62][63].…”

DIAGNOSIS OF ENDOCRINE DISEASE: Differentiation of pathologic/neoplastic hypercortisolism (Cushing’s syndrome) from physiologic/non-neoplastic hypercortisolism (formerly known as pseudo-Cushing’s syndrome)

“…DDAVP does not stimulate ACTH in these patients, which is similar to healthy subjects (55). Severity of bone loss and hypothalamic amenorrhea correlates with the degree of hypercortisolism in women (59,60). In addition, there is increased bone mineral fat related to cortisol excess (56).…”

The pathophysiological basis of bone tissue alterations associated with eating disorders

“…In fact, cortisol acts directly on osteoblasts and osteocytes, enhancing their apoptosis [58][59][60][61][62], and reduces both osteoblast and osteoclast formation [59]. However, it increases the lifespan of osteoclasts leading to a temporary increase in bone resorption [60].…”

“…Weight gain leads to a significant decrease in cortisol burst frequency [50]. Individuals with AN show a negative correlation between hypercortisolemia and bone formation markers, whereas there is no association between cortisol levels and bone formation in healthy controls [61], and 12-h overnight mean serum cortisol levels correlate negatively with lumbar spine and hip BMD [62].…”