Pilot study of adrenal steroid hormones in hair as an indicator of chronic mental and physical stress

Abstract

Currently, the quantitative analysis of moderators affecting the function of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis in health and sickness is still unreliable. This is, in particular, due to physiological factors such as pulsatile ultradian and circadian glucocorticoid secretion as well as to methodological limitations of the current techniques for steroid hormone determination. Based on this background, the determination of long-term hair steroid concentrations is an important methodological improvement allowing for the quantitative analysis of chronic HPA axis-activation. In order to determine the relationship between chronic mental and physical stress and a chronic activation of the HPA axis, we performed a cross-sectional pilot-study with 40 healthy students and examined the relationships between physical activity, mental burden(s), subjective stress perceptions, depressiveness, anxiety, physical complaints, sense of coherence, resilience, and the long-term integrated steroid hormone levels in hair. The results showed that the concentrations of cortisol, cortisone, and dehydroepiandrosterone in hair were significantly correlated to mental (p = 0.034) and physical stress (p = 0.001) as well as to subjective stress perception (p = 0.006). We conclude that steroid concentrations in hair are decisive predictors for an increase in the long-term-HPA axis activity. Moreover, this biomarker is suitable for capturing the stresslevel after burdening events and physical activity.