Salivary cortisol level inadequately measures stress associated with atopic dermatitis

Key clinical point: Salivary cortisol levels were neither associated with the severity of atopic dermatitis (AD) nor could measure the stress associated with it.

Major finding: Salivary cortisol levels increased in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, but the levels were significantly lower in symptomatic vs. asymptomatic patients (P = .011) and those with severe vs. moderate and mild disease (P = .042). However, the severity of perceived stress could neither be measured by cortisol levels nor by disease severity.

Study details: Findings are from a prospective study including symptomatic (n = 42) and asymptomatic (n =               42) patients with AD.

,

Disclosures: The study did not report any source of funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Source: Meštrović-Štefekov  J et al. Dermatitis. 2022 (Jan 25). Doi: 10.1097/DER.0000000000000834.