title: The relationship between serum cortisol, adrenaline, blood glucose and lipid profile of undergraduate students under examination stress.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stress is an extremely adaptive phenomenon in human beings and cortisol is a known stress hormone. Examination has been described as a naturalistic stressor capable of affecting human health.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the relationship between serum cortisol, adrenaline, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and lipid profile during examination stress.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and eight (208) apparently-healthy undergraduate students (aged, 24 ± 6 years) were involved in the study. Exactly 5 mls of venous blood was collected from each subject 1-3 hours before a major examination. A second assessment was done on the same students 3-4 weeks before any examination (control samples). Cortisol and adrenaline were assayed using ELISA techniques, FBG was assayed using enzymatic method while lipid parameters were assayed using standard enzymatic-spectrophotometric methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was statistically significant increase in serum cortisol, adrenaline, Total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels in students under examination stress compared to the non examination period (p=0.001, 0.013, 0.0001, 0.0001 and 0.0001, respectively). FBG showed no significant increase. There was also significant positive correlation (r=0.297, p=0.032) between serum cortisol and TC/HDL ratio (cardiac risk factor) before examination stress but not during the stress period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant positive correlation was observed between cortisol and TC/HDL ratio before examination stress.
authors.affiliation: Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Human Biochemistry.
authors.forename: Ignatius C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Maduka
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Enugu State, University of Science and Technology, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Emeka E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Neboh
authors.affiliation: University of Nigeria, Medical Laboratory Sciences.
authors.forename: Silas A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ufelle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D008055:Lipids; D006854:Hydrocortisone; D004837:Epinephrine
keywords: academic examination; cortisol; lipid profile; stressors
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