Edwards Sue, Hucklebridge Frank, Clow Angela, Evans Phil
Psychophysiology and Stress Research Group, University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom.
Psychosom Med. 2003 Mar-Apr;65(2):320-7. doi: 10.1097/01.psy.0000033123.70631.8e.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the diurnal pattern of salivary free cortisol to perceived stress and susceptibility to symptoms of upper respiratory illness (URI).
Salivary free cortisol concentration was determined in 34 healthy participants (students) at eight time points, synchronized to awakening, on 2 consecutive days. Participants completed a standard questionnaire to assess perceived stress and subsequently kept a daily record of social proximity and symptoms of upper respiratory illness for 2 weeks.
Participants characterized by consistently larger awakening responses went on to report significantly more URI symptoms. Participants with less pronounced diurnal decline (flatter profiles) reported fewer URI symptoms. The two cortisol components were themselves related and interacted such that participants high on an interactive vector reported approximately three times more URI symptoms than other participants. The URI-associated cortisol components (dynamic changes) were not related to perceived stress, but underlying cortisol secretory activity (overall levels) in the first 45 minutes after awakening was. Dynamic components were, however, related to a social proximity measure, which in turn was related to URI symptoms. Proximity and the interactive cortisol vector together explained a substantial (28%) percentage of the variance in URI symptom reports. The cortisol vector independently and significantly explained 12% of the variation; the proximity measure independently and nonsignificantly contributed 6% of the variation.
URI symptoms were associated with two related dynamic components of the cortisol cycle as determined by synchronization to awakening, whereas stress was related to a measure of overall secretory activity.
本研究旨在探讨唾液游离皮质醇的昼夜模式与感知压力及上呼吸道疾病（URI）症状易感性之间的关系。
在连续两天的八个与觉醒同步的时间点，测定了34名健康参与者（学生）的唾液游离皮质醇浓度。参与者完成一份标准问卷以评估感知压力，随后连续两周每天记录社交距离和上呼吸道疾病症状。
以觉醒反应持续较大为特征的参与者随后报告的URI症状明显更多。昼夜下降不太明显（曲线较平）的参与者报告的URI症状较少。这两种皮质醇成分本身相关且相互作用，使得处于交互向量高分的参与者报告的URI症状比其他参与者多约三倍。与URI相关的皮质醇成分（动态变化）与感知压力无关，但觉醒后前45分钟的潜在皮质醇分泌活动（总体水平）与之相关。然而，动态成分与一种社交距离测量相关，而社交距离又与URI症状相关。社交距离和交互皮质醇向量共同解释了URI症状报告中相当大比例（28%）的变异。皮质醇向量独立且显著地解释了12%的变异；社交距离测量独立但不显著地贡献了6%的变异。
URI症状与通过与觉醒同步确定的皮质醇循环的两个相关动态成分有关，而压力与总体分泌活动的一种测量有关。
