Objective: Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show hypoactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Whether the association between hyperactivity/inattention symptoms with HPA axis dysfunction holds in the general child population too is not clear.
Method: We assessed associations between longitudinal trajectories of hyperactivity/inattention symptoms during ages 4 to 13 years and basal cortisol profiles at age 15 in a British general population cohort.
Results: Adolescents with persistently high levels of hyperactivity/inattention symptoms since childhood showed lower total morning cortisol and a smaller diurnal decline, even after adjusting for confounders. No associations were found between any of the symptom trajectories and cortisol awakening response, diurnal slope or daily output of cortisol.
Conclusion: This study provides evidence for hypocortisolism among adolescents with chronic hyperactivity/inattention symptoms in the general population.
Keywords: ALSPAC; adolescence; childhood; cortisol; hyperactivity/inattention.