Effects of anxiety on TNF-α levels during psychological stress

Objectives: Psychological stress can influence the immune system, which may result in stress-related illnesses. In this study, we investigated the effect of psychological stress and the coping skill on plasma cytokine levels. Materials and methods: One hundred eighty-three students, at different stages of an academic year, participated in this study. Plasma tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-2 soluble receptor alpha, and IL-4 were measured and examined in relation to the measures of anxiety [State Anxiety Inventory (SAI)] and Bell Adjustment Inventory Keywords: Psychological stress; Anxiety; Immunity; Cytokines; Coping (BAI) score. Results: SAI scores were significantly higher in both midterm students (NITS) and examination-taking students (ETS), compared with the freshly admitted students (FAS). In addition, TNF-alpha levels were significantly different between the high- and the low-anxiety groups of ETS but not in NITS or FAS. The correlation between SAI scores and the BAI emotional scores was highest in the ETS group. Conclusions: TNF-ct level was significantly lower in the ETS group with high anxiety scores, and it is situation specific. (C) 2007 Published by Elsevier Inc.