title: Magnetic storms and variations in hormone levels among residents of North Polar area--Svalbard.
abstract: In the present work four examinations (January, March, June, October 1991-1992) of the blood concentration of adrenal hormones (cortisol) and thyroid hormones (triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine T4) and their dependence on space and terrestrial weather parameters have been done for large groups of healthy inhabitants of high latitudes (Svalbard, the most northerly in the world year-round inhabited settlements). The aim of this study was to find the possible sensitivity of these biochemical parameters to variations of external natural factors at high latitudes in three independent groups of people living in this region (miners and people working underground (364 samples), the men working on the ground (274 samples) and women working on the ground (280 samples)). The obtained data indicate that the most expressed dependence of concentration of the three studied hormones is on the level of geomagnetic activity (GMA) - Kp, Ap, Kpmax - 3h. For two of the four seasons (June and October) with increasing levels of GMA a significant (p<0.05) increase in cortisol concentration in all three independent groups of people was observed. Range of increases in cortisol concentration in different groups were about 30% of the observed variation in the average intragroup concentration in June and from 16% to 38% in October. For T3 dependence was found only in June: drop in hormone secretion with increasing levels of GMA from 18 to 30% of the average range of intragroup variations. Thus it was shown for the first time that at high geographical latitudes with increased level of GMA a significant change in the level of secretion of several hormones leads to the type of adaptive stress reaction.
authors.affiliation: Space Research Institute RAS, 117997, Profsoyznaya 84/32, Moscow, Russia. Electronic address: breus36@mail.ru.
authors.forename: T K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Breus
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physiology, Komi Scientific Center, Ural Division of RAS, Syktivkar, Russia.
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Boiko
authors.affiliation: Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics RAS, Puschino, Russia; Space Research Institute RAS, 117997, Profsoyznaya 84/32, Moscow, Russia. Electronic address: zench@mail.ru.
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Zenchenko
mesh_terms: D005118:Extraterrestrial Environment; D005260:Female; D055593:Geological Phenomena; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D008280:Magnetics; D008297:Male; D008906:Mining; D012621:Seasons; D019445:Solar Activity; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000502:physiology; D013538:Svalbard; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood*; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood*; D014887:Weather
chemical_list: D014284:Triiodothyronine; D013974:Thyroxine; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Atmospheric pressure; Geomagnetic activity; Hormone secretion; North-Polar area