title: Sex and surgical stress.
abstract: The endocrine and metabolic response to anaesthesia and surgery was studied in 12 men and eight women undergoing elective total hip replacement using buprenorphine as the intra- and postoperative analgesic. Plasma glucose, cortisol and prolactin were measured, and the results obtained for men and women compared. Statistically significant difference between men and women were found for prolactin during and after operation, and also for cortisol postoperatively. Men, but not women, demonstrated a significant fall in plasma cortisol following a dose of buprenorphine after operation. These results are discussed in relation to known procedures for ablating the stress response and to the neuroendocrine effects of opiate agonists and partial agonists.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000097:blood* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood; D012737:Sex Factors; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000097:blood* / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D002047:Buprenorphine; D011388:Prolactin; D006854:Hydrocortisone