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Citation
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Coelho R, Levandowski ML, Mansur RB, da Cunha GR, Asevedo E, Zugman A, Salum GA, Gadelha A, Pan PM, Rizzo LB, Manfro G, Mari JJ, Rohde LAP, Miguel EC, Bressan RA, Brietzke E, Grassi-Oliveira R. Psychiatry Clin. Neurosci. 2016; 70(10): 434-441. |
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Abstract
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Aim
Childhood maltreatment (CM) has been related to a persistent reprograming of stress-response. Copeptin is a marker of Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal axis activation, although it is few studied in children exposed to CM. The aim of this study is to compare serum copeptin levels in children reporting child abuse and/or neglect and children with no history of CM.
Methods
Sixty-five children with a positive self-reported history of moderate to severe CM, reported by both self and parent reports during a clinical interview and 71 children with no history of CM were selected as a comparison group. CM was considered moderate to severe based on the child reported frequency of being exposed to events related to sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect and/or physical neglect. Child psychopathology symptoms were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). We measured serum copeptin concentration using ELISA immunoassay.
Results
Children exposed to CM exhibited higher levels of serum copeptin, compared to children without CM when controlling by sex, age and psychiatric morbidity. The CBCL total score including internalizing and externalizing symptoms were higher in children with CM. We found no correlation between copeptin and CBCL scores of internalizing symptoms and externalizing symptoms.
Conclusion
CM is associated with copeptin serum levels independently of age, sex and symptoms severity. Copeptin is a promising new biomarker for children with a history of abuse and/or neglect.
Language: en |