Biomarkers of chronic occupational stress (literature review)

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Abstract

The review concentrates on generalizing results produced by contemporary studies on relations between chronic occupational stress and a wide range of biomarkers of homeostasis and functional state of the body. Bearing in mind diagnostic and predictive significance of neuroendocrine, neurophysiologic, immune and metabolic biomarkers of chronic occupational stress, we analyzed sixty two published papers that were best suitable for our goals. These works were selected from one hundred eighty seven information sources available in CyberLeninka, PubMed and Google Scholar databases. We considered key hormones and intermediates which impose certain limitation on the balance and directions of reactions by the sympathoadrenal system, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis. We also examined several most significant indicators of the immune system functioning which described the ratio of pro- and anti-inflammatory processes occurring in the body under chronic exposure to psychoemotional occupational factors. We spotted out major methodical issues (a choice of a research object, absence of unified research procedures, interfering factors) which created certain difficulties in interpretation of results produced by testing biomarkers under chronic stress and in use of neuroendocrine and immune indicators in clinical practice. Poly-biomarker studies based on the concept of allostatic loads were shown to bring about new opportunities for preventive and prospect occupational stress management.

Contribution:
Bezrukova G.A. — the concept and design of the study, the collection of material and writing the text;
Mikerov A.N. — editing.
All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: April 11, 2022 / Accepted: June 8, 2022 / Published: June 26, 2022

About the authors

Galina A. Bezrukova

Saratov Medical Hygiene Scientific Center of the Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Health Risk Management Technologies

Author for correspondence.
Email: bezrukovagala@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9296-0233

MD, PhD, DSci., Associate Professor, Chief researcher of the Department of Occupational Health of the Saratov Scientific Research Center for Hygiene, Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Technologies for Population Health Risk Management, Saratov, 410022, Russian Federation.

e-mail: bezrukovagala@yandex.ru

Russian Federation

Anatoly N. Mikerov

Saratov Medical Hygiene Scientific Center of the Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Health Risk Management Technologies; V.I. Razumovsky Saratov State Medical University

Email: noemail@neicon.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-0670-7918
Russian Federation

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