Increased Urinary-Free Cortisol Outputs in Diabetic Patients

• Published in: Journal of diabetes and its complications Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 24 - 27
• Main Authors: Roy, Monique S, Roy, Alec, Brown, Stafford
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.01.1998; Elsevier Science; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age; Associated diseases and complications; Biological and medical sciences; C-Peptide - blood; Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - physiopathology; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - complications; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - physiopathology; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Diabetic Angiopathies - etiology; Diabetic Angiopathies - physiopathology; Diabetic neuropathy; Diabetic retinopathy; Diabetic Retinopathy - etiology; Diabetic Retinopathy - physiopathology; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Female; Glycated Hemoglobin A - analysis; Hospitalization; Humans; Hydrocortisone - urine; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System - physiopathology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pituitary-Adrenal System - physiopathology; Plasma; Studies; Trends; Weight control; Endocrinopathy; Human; Urine; Immunopathology; Correlation; Hypothalamohypophysoadrenal axis disorders; Pathophysiology; Steroid hormone; Free form; Autoimmune disease; Hydrocortisone; Glucocorticoid; Statistical study; Assay; Adrenal hormone; Adolescent; Young adult; Insulin dependent diabetes; Complication
• ISSN: 1056-8727; 1873-460X
• DOI: 10.1016/S1056-8727(97)00006-8

We previously reported that diabetic patients show evidence of dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. To extend this work, we examined urinary-free cortisol (UFC) outputs in diabetic patients and whether or not they relate to diabetic complications. We compared a group of 35 insulin-dependent diabetic outpatients with a group of 32 normal controls for 24-h UFC outputs and examined the patients for relationship between UFC outputs and diabetic complications. Diabetic patients had significantly greater 24-h UFC outputs than controls. There was a significant positive correlation between 24-h UFC outputs and duration of diabetes. There were trends for patients with either diabetic retinopathy or diabetic cardiovascular complications to have higher 24-h UFC outputs than patients without these complications. These results further show that diabetic patients have mild dysregulation of the HPA axis. This dysregulation is related to longer duration of diabetes. A larger sample is needed to examine further for a relationship to diabetic complications.