Correlation Between High Hair Cortisol Level and Intracranial Aneurysm Rupture

The research published in Medicine (Baltimore) on June 4, 2021, involved 120 participants and found a significant association between high hair cortisol levels and the risk of intracranial aneurysm rupture. Those with ruptured aneurysms had significantly higher hair cortisol levels than those without ruptures. Another study involving 68 patients found that hair cortisol concentrations were significantly higher in the group with ruptured aneurysms (55.8 ng/dL) compared to the group with unruptured aneurysms (19.1 ng/dL). Patients with higher hair cortisol concentrations were 2.25 times more prone to rupture. A history of cerebrovascular disease was also associated with an increased risk of aneurysmal rupture. However, no significant correlations were found between aneurysmal rupture and other well-established risk factors such as hypertension, family history, diabetes, and smoking status. The study acknowledges limitations including a small sample size and the use of a salivary cortisol kit for hair cortisol analysis, which may have overestimated hair cortisol concentrations.