title: Salivary cortisol in two professions: daily cortisol profiles in school teachers and firefighters.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It's indicated negative-perceived stress could induce worse health status and change of cortisol secretion.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess salivary cortisol levels in two occupations with a high psychosocial workload, but different features, teachers and firefighters.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population consisted of 142 school teachers and 136 firefighters. Four saliva samples were collected from pedagogical participants during their busiest workday. The cortisol measures used were: morning values, evening values, slope of decline, ratio (evening value divided by morning value), and area under the curve (AUC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The salivary cortisol measurements in both genders were almost equal regarding morning values, slope, and AUC increase. Evening values were lower and the relative reactivity was higher (lower ratio) for female teachers, compared to male teachers. There was a tendency of a lower total daytime output of cortisol (AUC ground) among female teachers. Firefighters had lower levels of cortisol, lower total daytime output, and higher relative reactivity (lower ratio), but lower absolute reactivity, regarding both slope and AUC increase.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, male teachers might be the group most affected by stress in this study, even if some of their cortisol values were almost equal to the female teachers' values. Male teachers also seemed to be more affected by stress, according to salivary cortisol, compared to male firefighters, even if there were some inconsistencies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Charles University in Prague Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Susoliakova
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Charles University in Prague Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jindra
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smejkalova
authors.affiliation: Institute of Endocrinology, Department of Steroids and Proteofactors, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bicikova
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Charles University in Prague Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Potuznikova
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, Charles University in Prague Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Lenka
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hodacova
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grimby-Ekman
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Charles University in Prague Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Zdenek
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fiala
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D061388:Firefighters; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone