TY - JOUR
T1 - Low urinary cortisol excretion in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder
AU - Yehuda, Rachel
AU - Southwick, Steven M.
AU - Nussbaum, Gabriel
AU - Wahby, Victor
AU - Giller, Earl L.
AU - Mason, John W.
PY - 1990/6
Y1 - 1990/6
N2 - In the present study, we replicated and extended our previous findings of low urinary free-cortisol levels in PTSD. Cortisol was measured in 16 male patients (nine inpatients, seven outpatients) with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and in 16 nonpsychiatric control subjects. The mean cortisol level in the PTSD group was significantly lower, and the range narrower, than that observed in control subjects. Low cortisol in PTSD did not seem to be related to the presence or absence of major depressive disorder or to overall psychiatric symptomatology as assessed by the sum Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale score. In the outpatient group, there was a relationship between PTSD symptomatology and cortisol levels. The findings suggests a physiological adaptation of the hypothalamic-pitui-tary-adrenal axis to chronic stress.
AB - In the present study, we replicated and extended our previous findings of low urinary free-cortisol levels in PTSD. Cortisol was measured in 16 male patients (nine inpatients, seven outpatients) with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and in 16 nonpsychiatric control subjects. The mean cortisol level in the PTSD group was significantly lower, and the range narrower, than that observed in control subjects. Low cortisol in PTSD did not seem to be related to the presence or absence of major depressive disorder or to overall psychiatric symptomatology as assessed by the sum Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale score. In the outpatient group, there was a relationship between PTSD symptomatology and cortisol levels. The findings suggests a physiological adaptation of the hypothalamic-pitui-tary-adrenal axis to chronic stress.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0025300355&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/00005053-199006000-00004
DO - 10.1097/00005053-199006000-00004
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C2 - 2348190
AN - SCOPUS:0025300355
SN - 0022-3018
VL - 178
SP - 366
EP - 369
JO - Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
JF - Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
IS - 6
ER -