Hair Cortisol/DHEA-S Ratios in Healthcare Workers and Their Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study
Background: Unlike psychological distress, which has been extensively studied during the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of the pandemic on stress hormones has been overlooked. The aim of this study is to examine the hair cortisol/dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) ratios as markers of HPA axis d...
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2024-12-01
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| author | Isabella Pividori Tanja Peric Antonella Comin Alessio Cotticelli Mirco Corazzin Alberto Prandi Massimo Domenico Mascolo |
| author_facet | Isabella Pividori Tanja Peric Antonella Comin Alessio Cotticelli Mirco Corazzin Alberto Prandi Massimo Domenico Mascolo |
| author_sort | Isabella Pividori |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Unlike psychological distress, which has been extensively studied during the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of the pandemic on stress hormones has been overlooked. The aim of this study is to examine the hair cortisol/dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) ratios as markers of HPA axis dysregulation in healthcare workers and their patients. Methods: A total of 200 healthcare workers and 161 “patients” patients with special healthcare needs due to chronic illness or motor disabilities were included in this study. The hormone concentrations were measured using a radioimmunoassay. Results: Our results show that the patients had significantly higher cortisol/DHEA-S ratios than the workers. A high cortisol/DHEA-S ratio in the patients reflects higher cortisol concentrations (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and lower DHEA-S (<i>p</i> < 0.05) concentrations compared to those of the healthcare workers, suggesting that they may be exposed to a greater degree of stress and a decrease in their ability to cope with their disease. The cut-off value of the hair cortisol/DHEA-S ratio in our study for detecting people with needs that require special consideration and attention was 1.46 (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.01). Conclusions: Assessing the hair cortisol/DHEA-S ratios in both healthcare workers and the patients allowed us to identify a non-homeostatic condition that could lead to disease and to understand psychophysical well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also play a crucial role in preventive and personalized medicine. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-df4865d371a44131a66d7d845b0e7d98 |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| spelling | doaj-art-df4865d371a44131a66d7d845b0e7d982024-12-27T14:36:00ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292024-12-011412158210.3390/life14121582Hair Cortisol/DHEA-S Ratios in Healthcare Workers and Their Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case StudyIsabella Pividori0Tanja Peric1Antonella Comin2Alessio Cotticelli3Mirco Corazzin4Alberto Prandi5Massimo Domenico Mascolo6Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, Federico II University, 80137 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, ItalyDepartment of Neurology, Hospital of San Giorgio, Via Gemelli 10, 33170 Pordenone, ItalyBackground: Unlike psychological distress, which has been extensively studied during the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of the pandemic on stress hormones has been overlooked. The aim of this study is to examine the hair cortisol/dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) ratios as markers of HPA axis dysregulation in healthcare workers and their patients. Methods: A total of 200 healthcare workers and 161 “patients” patients with special healthcare needs due to chronic illness or motor disabilities were included in this study. The hormone concentrations were measured using a radioimmunoassay. Results: Our results show that the patients had significantly higher cortisol/DHEA-S ratios than the workers. A high cortisol/DHEA-S ratio in the patients reflects higher cortisol concentrations (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and lower DHEA-S (<i>p</i> < 0.05) concentrations compared to those of the healthcare workers, suggesting that they may be exposed to a greater degree of stress and a decrease in their ability to cope with their disease. The cut-off value of the hair cortisol/DHEA-S ratio in our study for detecting people with needs that require special consideration and attention was 1.46 (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.01). Conclusions: Assessing the hair cortisol/DHEA-S ratios in both healthcare workers and the patients allowed us to identify a non-homeostatic condition that could lead to disease and to understand psychophysical well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also play a crucial role in preventive and personalized medicine.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/14/12/1582COVID-19hair cortisol/dehydroepiandrosterone sulfatehairhealthcare workersneurological degenerative diseases |
| spellingShingle | Isabella Pividori Tanja Peric Antonella Comin Alessio Cotticelli Mirco Corazzin Alberto Prandi Massimo Domenico Mascolo Hair Cortisol/DHEA-S Ratios in Healthcare Workers and Their Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study Life COVID-19 hair cortisol/dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate hair healthcare workers neurological degenerative diseases |
| title | Hair Cortisol/DHEA-S Ratios in Healthcare Workers and Their Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study |
| title_full | Hair Cortisol/DHEA-S Ratios in Healthcare Workers and Their Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study |
| title_fullStr | Hair Cortisol/DHEA-S Ratios in Healthcare Workers and Their Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hair Cortisol/DHEA-S Ratios in Healthcare Workers and Their Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study |
| title_short | Hair Cortisol/DHEA-S Ratios in Healthcare Workers and Their Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study |
| title_sort | hair cortisol dhea s ratios in healthcare workers and their patients during the covid 19 pandemic a case study |
| topic | COVID-19 hair cortisol/dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate hair healthcare workers neurological degenerative diseases |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/14/12/1582 |
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