High Versus Low Basal Cortisol Secretion in Asymptomatic, Medication-free HIV-infected Men: Differential Effects of Severe Life Stress on Parameters of Immune Status

Abstract

The authors hypothesized that HIV-infected men with high basal cortisol secretion would exhibit greater stress-related reductions in the ratio of Th1 /Th2 cell-derived cytokines and numbers ofCD8+ T and NK lymphocytes than low basal cortisol secretors. A semistructured interview was used to assess life stress during the preceding 6 months of 94 HIV-infected men classfied as high and low cortisol secretors (n = 47/group). Increased levels of severe life stress were highly correlated with lower numbers of CD8+ T cells, CD16+ and CD56+ NK cells, CD57+ cells, and higher DHEA-S concentrations in the high cortisol group. Conversely, no significant correlations were found in the low cortisol group. No correlations were found between stress and CD4+ T helper/ inducer cell counts, cytokine production, or testosterone levels in either participating group. These data suggest that severe stress in combination with high glucocorticoid activity may modify select parameters of immune status in HIV-infected men.

Index Terms:

• adrenal steroids
• cellular immunity
• cytokines
• HIV
• HIV

Additional information

Notes on contributors

John M. Petitto

Dr Petitto is with the Departments of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Pharmacology and the Brain Institute, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville. Drs Leserman, Perkins, and Golden are with the Department of Psychiatry, and Dr Folds is in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill; Dr Stern is with Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, in the Department of Psychiatry; Mr Gettes and Dr Evans are with the Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia; Dr Zheng is with the Department of Biostatistics at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and Dr Silva is with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.