TITLE:
Salivary levels of cortisol and chromogranin A in patients with burning mouth syndrome: A case-control study
AUTHORS:
Chieko Shigeyama-Haruna, Inho Soh, Akihiro Yoshida, Shuji Awano, Hisashi Anan, Toshihiro Ansai
KEYWORDS:
Burning Mouth Syndrome; Cortisol; Chromogranin A
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Stomatology,
Vol.3 No.1,
March
21,
2013
ABSTRACT: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a poorly understood oral pain disorder characterized by a painful burning sensation in the oral cavity without any mucosal abnormalities. In this study, we evaluated the salivary cortisol and chromogranin A (CgA) levels of patients with BMS in comparison with age-matched controls. Subjects (n = 114) included 81 BMS patients and 33 controls. Patients with BMS were further classified into a subgroup of subjects who occasionally feel a burning sensation (BMS 1), and a subgroup of subjects who always feel a burning sensation (BMS 2). Salivary cortisol and CgA levels were measured using ELISA kits. All individuals with BMS had significantly higher cortisol and CgA levels than the controls did. Furthermore, when comparing the controls with each BMS subgroup, salivary levels of cortisol were significantly higher in both subgroups than controls. In contrast, the level of CgA was significantly higher in the BMS 2 subgroup only. Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant independent association between salivary levels of cortisol and BMS even after adjustment for gender, antidepressant or antianxiety drug use and hypertension (drug-treated). The study revealed that a significant association was observed between salivary cortisol levels and BMS.