Children with asthma have significantly lower long-term cortisol levels in their scalp hair than healthy children.

Aim: Noninvasive measurement of long-term cortisol levels is a useful way of evaluating the effect of chronic disease on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in children. The aim of this pilot study was to compare hair cortisol levels in children using inhaled corticosteroids for asthma and healthy children and to determine the association with short-term salivary cortisol levels.

Methods: Cortisol levels were measured in the scalp hair and saliva of prepubertal children with asthma (n = 10) and without asthma (n = 10).