EFFECTS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS ON PLASMA INTERLEUKIN-1-BETA AND INTERLEUKIN-6-BETA, C-REACTIVE PROTEIN, TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR-ALPHA, ANTI-DIURETIC HORMONE AND SERUM CORTISOL

The study was undertaken to determine whether psychological stress inf luences immunobiological functions and is an important preanalytical f actor to be considered in connection with blood specimen collection. T wo kinds of stress were applied, the Stroop colour conflict test and t he thrill of a novice about to make the first jump with a parachute. I n both test situations, the level of the stress indicators cortisol or anti-diuretic hormone rose significantly. The concentrations of the c ytokines studied did not change significantly. However, in the parachu te test significant positive correlations were found, e.g. between the changes of cortisol and C-reactive protein and between anti-diuretic hormone and interleukin-1 beta. This suggests that there is an interac tion between the endocrine and the immune systems in the response to a psycological stress.