Stress-coping and cortisol analysis in patients with non-syndromic cleft lip and palate: an explorative study

Salivary Cortisol Rhythms in Children With Cleft Lip and/or Palate: A Case-Control Study

OBJECTIVE

Knowledge about the stress response in children with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) is sparse and the association between the stress response and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is unknown. Consequently, investigations on the influence of CL/P on the stress response alone and its association with HRQoL are of importance. The purpose was to determine whether salivary cortisol concentration in children with CL/P differs from that in children without clefts (controls) and whether there are any differences in salivary cortisol concentrations between ages, gender, and type of cleft. Furthermore, the final aim was to determine the correlation between salivary cortisol concentration and HRQoL.

DESIGN

The study used a cross-sectional case-control design.

PARTICIPANTS

Ninety-one 5- and 10-year-old children with CL/P and 180 age-matched controls.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Salivary samples were collected on 2 mornings and 1 evening for each child. Samples were analyzed using a commercial competitive radioimmunoassay and HRQoL was assessed using the KIDSCREEN-52.

RESULTS

Salivary cortisol concentrations were similar in children with CL/P and controls. There was no difference in salivary cortisol concentrations between children with different types of cleft. There was no correlation between cortisol concentration and HRQoL.

CONCLUSION

Five- and 10-year-old children with corrected CL/P seemed not to be more stressed than controls, and there were no correlation to HRQoL. The HRQoL levels - were comparable to that of a European norm population.

Prenatal maternal distress seems to be associated with the infant's temperament and motor development: an explorative study

According to the concept of fetal programming, prenatal distress has long-lasting consequences on the offspring's health later in life. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is considered a mediating system by which maternal distress is transferred to the fetus in intrauterine environment. In this longitudinal explorative study on 30 mother-child-dyads, reported maternal distress and salivary cortisol were collected during pregnancy. Infant temperament, motor and cognitive development were assessed at 16 months. Additionally, infant cortisol levels throughout the day and in reaction to a psycho-social stressor where measured. As expected, infants whose mothers had experienced higher prenatal distress expressed a more difficult temperament and lower fine motor development at 16 months. No association could be shown between prenatal maternal distress and infant salivary cortisol.

No deficit in neurocortical information processing in patients with cleft lip and palate

BACKGROUND

Cleft lip and palate (CLP) represents the most common malformation of the midfacial region worldwide. It can be suggested that the facial stigmatization, the speech impediment, and the long-standing pressure of treatment cause a range of life stressors. Neurocortical information is influenced by physiological and psychological factors and varies significantly in patients suffering from chronic stress, anxiety, depression, or other psychopathological conditions following maladaptation. The aims of the present study were to investigate the neurocortical information processing of patients with CLP using the contingent negative variation (CNV) paradigm and to evaluate secondary psychopathology, anxiety, and depression.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-five adults with CLP and 25 healthy volunteers, matched in age and gender, were investigated using recordings of the CNV. Initial CNV (iCNV), late CNV (lCNV), and total CNV (tCNV) as well as habituation slope of the iCNV were determined in each subject. Additionally, each participant had to complete the hospital anxiety and depression questionnaire (HADS) and the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R).

RESULTS

Individuals with CLP did not differ significantly from healthy subjects according to any of the CNV parameters investigated. No correlations could be revealed between the measured items and the confounding factors age and gender. Additionally, there were no differences between the groups regarding depression and SCL-90-R; however, anxiety showed significant group differences on a subclinical level.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that subjects with CLP show normal neurocortical information processing. It seems likely that CLP and its treatment have no impact on psychosocial functioning and neurophysiological mechanisms of attention.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

The specific living conditions of patients with CLP do not result in disease-specific neurophysiological changes.

Cortisol levels and sleep patterns in infants with orofacial clefts undergoing surgery

BACKGROUND

Traumatic events during early infancy might damage infants' psychobiological functioning, such as sleep and cortisol secretion. Infants born with orofacial clefts (OFCs) undergo functional, anatomical, and aesthetic surgery. The aim of the present study was to determine whether infants with OFC and undergoing OFC surgery show deteriorated sleep and cortisol secretion compared with healthy controls and with their presurgery status.

METHODS

A total of 27 infants with OFC (mean age: 22 weeks) and 30 healthy controls (mean age: 23 weeks) took part in the study. For infants with OFC, sleep actigraphy was performed and saliva cortisol was analyzed 5 days before, during, and 5 days after surgery. For controls, sleep and saliva cortisol were assessed similarly, except for the period taken up with surgery.

RESULTS

Compared with healthy controls, infants with OFC undergoing OFC surgery did not differ in sleep and cortisol secretion. Their sleep and cortisol secretion did deteriorate during the perisurgical period but recovered 5 days postsurgery.

CONCLUSION

In infants with OFC undergoing corrective surgery, the pattern of results for sleep and cortisol suggests that OFC surgery does not seem to constitute a traumatic event with long-term consequences.

Fötale Programmierung

Entsprechend dem Konzept der Fötalen Programmierung wirkt sich pränataler Stress nachhaltig auf die Gesundheit des Nachkömmlings aus. Die Hypothalamus-Hypophysen-Nebennierenrinden-Achse wird als eine mediierende Struktur angenommen, über welche sich mütterlicher Stress in der intrauterinen Umwelt auf den Fötus auswirkt. In der vorliegenden Studie wurde an 46 Mutter-Kind-Paaren die berichtete mütterliche Stressbelastung und Kortisolausschüttung während der Schwangerschaft erfasst. Im Alter von fünf Monaten wurden das frühkindliche Temperament sowie die motorische und kognitive Entwicklung der Säuglinge untersucht. Säuglinge von Müttern mit höherer pränataler Stressbelastung zeigten erwartungsgemäß ein schwierigeres Temperament, jedoch erwartungskonträr eine bessere motorische Entwicklung. Ein schwieriges Temperament des Säuglings stellt einen Risikofaktor für eine frühe Störung der Mutter-Kind-Interaktion dar. Frühe Präventionsmaßnahmen könnten helfen, dieses Risiko zu minimieren und Schutzfaktoren zu etablieren.