Adrenal steroid hormones in short children born small for gestational age.

OBJECTIVE: Programming of the endocrine axis has been postulated to occur during critical phases of fetal development and is affected by intrauterine growth retardation. The aim of this study was to investigate this hypothesis with regard to adrenal steroid hormones. Thus, serum cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) levels were compared in children born small for gestational age (SGA) who remained short and in children born at an appropriate size for gestational age (AGA), of both short and normal stature.

DESIGN AND PATIENTS: Seven serum samples for cortisol measurements were taken during a 24-h period from a total of 184 prepubertal individuals. The study group comprised 53 children born SGA who remained short (41 boys, 12 girls; mean chronological age, 8.8 +/- 2.5 years). The reference groups of children born AGA were as follows: 75 healthy short children (56 boys, 19 girls; mean chronological age, 10.8 +/- 2.6 years) and 56 healthy children of normal height (37 boys, 19 girls; mean chronological age, 11.3 +/- 1.8 years). A single serum sample for measurement of DHEAS was taken between 1000 and 1400 h in 110 of the 184 children (33 short SGA, 42 short AGA and 35 AGA of normal height).

MEASUREMENTS: Serum cortisol and DHEAS were measured by radioimmunoassay.

RESULTS: No differences were found between children born SGA and children born AGA in either cortisol levels, calculated as area under the curve (AUC), or the circadian cortisol rhythm, estimated from the calculated nadir, the peak and the amplitude. No difference between the groups was found for serum DHEAS concentrations. Serum cortisol levels, expressed as AUC, and serum DHEAS levels did not correlate with size at birth. However, when adjusted for age at investigation, serum DHEAS, but not serum cortisol, correlated with weight at birth.

CONCLUSIONS: Serum cortisol levels and rhythms do not correlate with size at birth and are similar in children born small for gestational age who remain short and children born appropriate size for gestational age of both short and normal stature. However, DHEAS levels in young children before adrenarche correlated inversely with weight at birth, indicating a relationship with fetal growth.