ArticleBMC pediatrics2025
Sex and age differences in cortisol levels during glucagon stimulation test in children.
Article in BMC pediatrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Comparison of Glucagon Stimulation Test and Insulin Tolerance Test for Assessment of an Anterior Pituitary Function-A Cross-Over Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPrevious studies of glucagon stimulation test (GST) in children have shown variable results regarding the utility and reliability of the cortisol response to this test and its correlation with clinical parameters. The aim of this study was to assess cortisol levels at GST and to evaluate how clinical parameters, such as age, sex, pubertal status and Body Mass Index (BMI), correlate to cortisol levels in children.
methodsA retrospective study of children evaluated for short stature with the GST. Cortisol, glucose and growth hormone (GH) levels at GST, as well as clinical parameters (age, sex, pubertal status, BMI), were collected from medical records. A peak cortisol of ≥ 450 nmol/L was used as a cut-off indicative of a sufficient response. Non-parametric tests were applied in the statistical analysis, and linear regression was used to examine factors affecting cortisol max at the GST.
resultsIn total, 171 children were included; median age 7.8 years (1.0-18.0), 60 (35.1%) female, 23 (13.5%) pubertal. Of all children, 145 (84.8%) achieved a peak cortisol ≥ 450 nmol/L. There was a negative correlation between peak cortisol levels and age (Spearman's rho - 0.26, p = < 0.001). Peak cortisol levels were higher in females vs. males: 667.5 nmol/L (range 400-995) vs. 602 nmol/L (range 202-1008), p = 0.005. A higher number of boys than girls did not reach the cortisol cut-off value of 450 nmol/L (p = 0.022). The difference in maximum stimulated cortisol levels between the sexes remained after adjusting for age with a linear regression model (β (95% CI) 65.3 (15.9-114.6), p = 0.01).
conclusionGST is a reliable test of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in children. Girls and younger children had higher peak cortisol at GST. The results support a need for sex- and age-dependent reference values for cortisol.
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