The relationship between serum cortisol, adrenaline, blood glucose and lipid profile of undergraduate students under examination stress

• Published in: African health sciences 2015-01, Vol.15 (1), p.131-136
• Main Authors: Maduka, Ignatius C, Neboh, Emeka E, Ufelle, Silas A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: academic examination; Adult; Blood Glucose - analysis; Case studies; College students; cortisol; Educational Measurement; Epinephrine - blood; Female; Health and Medicine; Humans; Hydrocortisone - blood; lipid profile; Lipids - blood; Male; Serology; Stress; Stress, Psychological - blood; stressors; Students - psychology; Students - statistics & numerical data; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tests; Universities; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1680-6905; 1729-0503; 1680-6905
• DOI: 10.4314/ahs.v15i1.18

. Background: Stress is an extremely adaptive phenomenon in human beings and cortisol is a known stress hormone. Examination has been described as a naturalistic stressor capable of affecting human health. Objectives: To estimate the relationship between serum cortisol, adrenaline, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and lipid profile during examination stress. Methods: Two hundred and eight (208) apparently-healthy undergraduate students (aged, 24 ± 6 years) were involved in the study. Exactly 5 mls of venous blood was collected from each subject 1-3 hours before a major examination. A second assessment was done on the same students 3-4 weeks before any examination (control samples). Cortisol and adrenaline were assayed using ELISA techniques, FBG was assayed using enzymatic method while lipid parameters were assayed using standard enzymatic- spectrophotometric methods. Results: There was statistically significant increase in serum cortisol, adrenaline, Total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels in students under examination stress compared to the non examination period (p=0.001, 0.013, 0.0001, 0.0001 and 0.0001, respectively). FBG showed no significant increase. There was also significant positive correlation (r=0.297, p=0.032) between serum cortisol and TC/HDL ratio (cardiac risk factor) before examination stress but not during the stress period. Conclusions: Significant positive correlation was observed between cortisol and TC/HDL ratio before examination stress.