Differences in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of black girls and white girls

After intravenous administration of ovine corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), the plasma corticotropin (ACTH) concentrations of adult black women and men are approximately twice as high as those of adult white women and men; however, there are no corresponding differences in cortisol response. To...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of pediatrics 1996-07, Vol.129 (1), p.130-135
Main Authors: Yanovski, Jack A., Yanovski, Susan Zelitch, Cutler, Gordon B., Chrousos, George P., Filmer, Kathryn M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adrenals. Interrenals
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone - blood
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone - metabolism
African Continental Ancestry Group
Anthropometry
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone
European Continental Ancestry Group
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Hydrocortisone - blood
Hydrocortisone - metabolism
Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System - physiology
Morphology. Functional localizations
Pituitary-Adrenal System - physiology
Puberty - blood
Vertebrates: endocrinology
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Summary:After intravenous administration of ovine corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), the plasma corticotropin (ACTH) concentrations of adult black women and men are approximately twice as high as those of adult white women and men; however, there are no corresponding differences in cortisol response. To determine whether these differences in ACTH secretion are also present in prepubertal and early pubertal girls, we studied the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of 19 black and 19 white girls of normal weight (age 7 to 10 years) who were matched for body mass index, age, and socioeconomic status. Measures of cortisol's effects, including waist circumference, waist/hip ratio, and fasting insulin and glucose levels, were obtained and related to the ACTH and cortisol responses to 1 μg/kg CRH. There were no racial differences in waist circumference, waist/hip ratio, fasting glucose or insulin levels, baseline free or total plasma cortisol levels, baseline ACTH concentrations, or the plasma cortisol response to CRH. However, CRH-stimulated plasma ACTH concentrations, measured in a polyclonal radioimmunoassay, were significantly greater in prepubertal and early pubertal black girls than in white girls at all time points between 15 and 90 minutes after administration of CRH (area under curve [AUC] 1754 ± 121 pmol/L • min in black girls vs 1304 ± 124 pmol/L • min in white girls, p
ISSN:0022-3476
1097-6833
DOI:10.1016/S0022-3476(96)70199-3