Are salivary immunoglobulin A and lysozyme biomarkers of stress among nurses?

Citation
V. Ng et al., Are salivary immunoglobulin A and lysozyme biomarkers of stress among nurses?, J OCCUP ENV, 41(10), 1999, pp. 920-927
Citations number
27
Categorie Soggetti
Envirnomentale Medicine & Public Health
Journal title
JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE
ISSN journal
10762752 → ACNP
Volume
41
Issue
10
Year of publication
1999
Pages
920 - 927
Database
ISI
SICI code
1076-2752(199910)41:10<920:ASIAAL>2.0.ZU;2-6
Abstract
Salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA) and lysozyme have been studied as possible biomarkers of stress. This study examined the stress levels among female nu rses in various units and the relationship between these stress levels and salivary IgA and lysozyme secretion. One hundred ninety-five (43 %) of 457 eligible female nurses from surgical wards/operating theaters (SURG), medic al wards (MED), and outpatient clinics/day-surgery theaters (OPD) completed a self-administered questionnaire. From this group of 195 nurses, 124 prov ided a salivary sample accumulated over 5 minutes. Stress levels were asses sed with a ten-point Stress Assessment Score (SAS) for Asians and a direct question on perceived life stress. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and ly so-plate methods were used to determine salivary IgA and lysozyme levels. F orty-five percent of SURG, 35 % of MED, and 17% of OPD nurses scored at lea st four points on the SAS. SURG nurses had the lowest IgA secretion (geomet ric mean; 95% confidence interval [CI]) rates (43 mu g/min; 36 to 51 mu g/m in). The other groups had significantly higher salivary IgA secretion rates : MED (96 mu g/min; 80 to 116 mu g/min) and OPD (77 mu g/min; 60 to 98 mu g /min) Findings for salivary lysozyme (mu g/min) were similar; SURG (9 mu g/ min; 6 to 13 mu g/min) MED (19 mu g/min; 12 to 28 mu g/min) and OPD (16 mu g/min; 9 to 28 mu g/min). The salivary IgA (Spearman's r = -0.22, P = 0.01) but not the lysozyme (Spearman's r = -0.01, P = 0.9) secretion rate correl ated negatively with SAS. Nurses working in various units under different c onditions experienced dissimilar levels of stress. Salivary IgA, but not ly sozyme, correlated inversely with self-reported levels of stress. It may th us be a potential biomarker in future studies on stress.