EVALUATION OF STRESS-INDUCED BY FIGHT ACTIVITY BY MEASURING THE HORMONAL RESPONSE

The aim of the present study was to quantitatively investigate the dif ferent levels of adaptation to flight and to evaluate the hormonal res ponse To flight activity as a possible reliable tool to quantify the l evel of stress induced by flight The hormonal response of growth hormo ne (GH), cortisol, and prolactin (PRL) to flight activity was evaluate d in a group of student pilots (n = 11; all male; age 20 +/- 2 years) and flight instructors (n = 11; all male; age 27 +/- 2 years) of an It alian Air Force flight school. Blood samples were obtained immediately before and after a training flight session. Hormonal determination by RIA technique after flight showed a significant increase of plasma ho rmonal levels of GH, PRL, and cortisol in the students. Conversely in the instructors only GH showed a significant increase versus preflight values, whereas PRL and cortisol did not show significant differences . Moreover, preflight hormonal levels of GH and PRL were significantly higher for student pilots compared to the same values for flight inst ructors. The data lead to establishing a close correlation between the hormonal response to flight activity and the level of tolerance and a daptation to flight-induced stress.