PERCEIVED STRESS AND HEPATIC PARAMETERS

Introduction: The aim of the study is to evaluate work-related subjective stress in a group of employees, of both sexes, operating in the healthcare and welfare, through the administration of a questionnaire (HSE "Indicator Tool"), specifically developed and officially validated, and to analyze any possible correlations between stress levels taken from the questionnaire scores and the concentrations of three main hepatic parameters (GOT, GPT, GGT). Materials and Methods: We studied a final sample of 232 subjects (143 males and 89 females) operating in the health and welfare sector. For research purposes during the medical examination each subject underwent the HSE indicator tool, a collection of information about relevant clinical and medical history and a venous blood sample for the assay of GOT, GPT and GGT. All questionnaires were analyzed using special software provided by the HSE. The results obtained from the questionnaires were statistically compared with the blood concentrations of hepatic parameters. Results: The dimensions found to be critical, associated with a stressful condition (yellow area) or a highly stressful condition (red area), are: managers support, colleagues support, quality of relationships and changes. The Pearson’s correlation showed a statistically significant negative correlation (p <0.05) between the mean values of all the critical dimensions and the concentrations of the hepatic parameters, both on the total sample and after subdivision by gender. These results were confirmed in the multiple linear regression analysis, which indicated that the critical dimensions are the main significant variables contributing to the liver parameters alterations. Discussion: Preliminary results indicate that a critical perception of stress at work can be statistically associated with increases in mean concentrations of GOT, GPT and GGT in a working asymptomatic population. These results provide a starting point for future studies on this topic, to a greater definition of the link between stress and liver injury, to confirm the effects on the parameters of liver injury (GOT, GPT, GGT) and to investigate possible correlations with the cholestasis parameters (bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase) and serum albumin.