Feasibility of Measuring Hair Glucocorticoids as a Potential Biomarker for Chronic Stress in Older Adults With Intellectual Disabilities.
Jasper Steven Dijkema, Mylène Nathalie Böhmer, Patrick Jan Eugene Bindels and 2 others
PMID 40922662WHAT IT FOUND
Measuring hair stress hormones in older adults with intellectual disabilities worked for only 32% of the group.
Feasibility was much lower in males and those with severe disabilities, mostly because hair was too short or thin to analyse. This method is not currently practical for all patients.
Key findings
01Overall feasibility of obtaining analysable hair samples was moderate at 32%, with consent rates good (73%) but collection rates lower (50%).
02Feasibility varied significantly by sex and disability level: males had a 15% overall feasibility rate compared to 50% for females, and those with moderate ID had higher rates (42%) than those with severe/profound ID (25%).
03The primary reason for failed collection was having hair that was too short or thin (64% of failures), which disproportionately affected males.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study population consisted of older adults (mean age 71.3) already enrolled in a long-term cohort, which may introduce selection bias towards those more compliant with research procedures. Feasibility was notably lower in males and those with severe/profound ID, limiting the generalisability of the method to these subgroups. The study did not measure actual stress levels or validate the biomarker against clinical outcomes; it only assessed whether the samples could be collected and analysed. Resistance to sampling was higher in those with severe/profound ID, but statistical significance was not tested for these specific reasons due to small subgroup sizes.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by ZonMw and the Academic Collaborative Research Center Healthy Ageing and Intellectual Disabilities (HA-ID).
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this as evidence that hair glucocorticoids are an ineffective stress marker. The study shows they are difficult to *collect* in this specific population, particularly in balding males and those with severe disabilities, not that the biomarker itself is invalid.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →