Effect of academic stress on serum cortisol level and CD4 cell count in young male postgraduate students in Okada, Nigeria

Abstract

To assess the effect of stress on serum cortisol level and CD4 cell count in young male postgraduate students at Igbinedion University, a cross sectional laboratory based analysis survey was adopted for this study. A total of 104 male volunteer postgraduate students (age 22 + 7.0 years, body mass index 26 + 0.5 kg/m2) were randomly recruited. Total white blood cell (TWBC) was determined using the Sysmex® AutomatedHematology Analyzer. CD4 cell count was estimated using Partec cyflow counter. Serum cortisol level was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. It was observed that there was asignificant (P < 0.05) increase in the serum cortisol level at stage A (1st day of the semester) when compared with stage B (midway in the semester) and C (morning of the examination), while there was significant (P < 0.05) decrease in the TWBC count and CD4 cell count at A stage when compared with stage B and C. It was observed that academic stress was inhibitory of the proliferation of CD4 cells with the elevation of serumcortisol as a possible mediator.Keywords: Stress, cortisol, CD4 cell, ELISA.