Hair and fingernail cortisol and the onset of acute coronary syndrome in the middle-aged and elderly men

Acute psychosocial stress triggers an activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which causes the adrenal cortex to secrete cortisol. Traditionally, cortisol has been measured in blood and saliva samples, which revealed hormone levels for a short time period. Recently, cortisol has been reportedly measured in hair samples (Russell et al., 2012). Scalp hair grows at an average rate of 1.0  cm/month; 1.0 cm of scalp hair may be used to determine the level of the hormone secreted during a period of 1 month.

Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - November 15, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Shuhei Izawa, Keiichi Miki, Masao Tsuchiya, Haruyo Yamada, Masatoshi Nagayama Source Type: research