Effects of anxiety on TNF-alpha levels during psychological stress.
OBJECTIVE
Psychological stress can influence the immune system, which may result in stress-related illnesses. In this study, we investigated the effect of psychological stress and the coping skill on plasma cytokine levels.


METHODS
One hundred eighty-three students, at different stages of an academic year, participated in this study. Plasma tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-2 soluble receptor alpha, and IL-4 were measured and examined in relation to the measures of anxiety [State Anxiety Inventory (SAI)] and Bell Adjustment Inventory (BAI) score.


RESULTS
SAI scores were significantly higher in both midterm students (MTS) and examination-taking students (ETS), compared with the freshly admitted students (FAS). In addition, TNF-alpha levels were significantly different between the high- and the low-anxiety groups of ETS but not in MTS or FAS. The correlation between SAI scores and the BAI emotional scores was highest in the ETS group.


CONCLUSIONS
TNF-alpha level was significantly lower in the ETS group with high anxiety scores, and it is situation specific.
Chandrashekara
S
S
Chanre Rheumatology and Immunology Center, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Bangalore, Karnataka, India. chandrashekara_s@yahoo.com
Jayashree
K
K
Veeranna
H B
HB
Vadiraj
H S
HS
Ramesh
M N
MN
Shobha
A
A
Sarvanan
Y
Y
Vikram
Yeragani K
YK
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000276:immunology* / Q000523:psychology; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit / Q000097:blood*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood*
D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D015847:Interleukin-4