Morning and evening salivary cortisol levels in patients with chronic widespread pain and those at high risk

Begum, Nayab, Taylor, Jason, Brown, Christopher ORCID: 0000-0003-1414-2635, Rajan, Jonathan, Keevil, Brian, Pye, Emily, Rainey, Timothy and Jones, Anthony (2022) Morning and evening salivary cortisol levels in patients with chronic widespread pain and those at high risk. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PAIN, 26 (1). pp. 197-206.

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Abstract

<h4>Background</h4>Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation has been implicated in chronic widespread pain (CWP); the hallmark of fibromyalgia (FM). This is the first study to compare HPA axis changes in individuals with CWP and those at high risk of symptom development.<h4>Methods</h4>We sought to determine differences in morning and evening salivary cortisol levels in FM (n = 19), those at-risk (n = 20) and pain-free controls (n = 17). Risk factors included non-CWP pain, somatic symptoms, illness behaviour and sleep disturbance. We conducted the study in the absence of centrally acting medication, to address limitations of previous research.<h4>Results</h4>Repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant main effects of group (p = 0.003), and time of day (p = 0.002), with no significant interaction. Cortisol levels were higher in FM (p = 0.027) and at-risk (p = 0.003) groups, compared to controls, but there was no significant difference between FM and at-risk groups. The main effect of group remained significant with sleep problems (p = 0.021) and life events (p = 0.007), but was not significant with anxiety (p = 0.076) or depression (p = 0.098) scores as covariates. With sleep problems as a covariate, cortisol levels remained significantly higher only in the at-risk group (p = 0.017).<h4>Conclusions</h4>This study indicates elevated salivary cortisol in FM and those at high risk, and identifies anxiety, depression and sleep problems as potential contributing factors. The results shed light on the dynamic relationship between stress, mood and sleep disorders and the brain's resilience to pain.<h4>Significance</h4>This study examines neurobiological changes in chronic widespread pain and high risk individuals. One strength of the study is the absence of centrally acting medication. We found high salivary cortisol common to Fibromyalgia and those at risk and identified contributing factors. Our results offer insight into the early mechanistic changes underlying Fibromyalgia development and open up possibilities for early diagnosis and prevention.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Pituitary-Adrenal System, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Saliva, Humans, Fibromyalgia, Hydrocortisone, Chronic Pain
Divisions:	Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Population Health
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	29 Nov 2021 10:26
Last Modified:	18 Jan 2023 21:23
DOI:	10.1002/ejp.1854
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3144150