ABSTRACT
Introduction: In the basic setting of the Coronavirus pandemic, medical care workers are at the forefront, participating directly in the consideration, determination, and therapy of patients with Coronavirus from the last two years. This exposes them to a higher danger of creating ongoing pressure, mental misery, and some other psychological wellness side effects. Objective: To evaluate stress, serum cortisol level, and blood pressure in a health workers population and, in addition, to measure serum cortisol concentration as a current biomarker of stress. Materials and Methods: Sixty health workers (22 men & 38 women) from Dedicated Covid Hospital and Dedicated Covid health Centre were included in this study. In these participants, after obtaining the data of socio-demography and perceived stress, serum cortisol was measured by automated chemiluminescent method. This is a hospital-based cross-sectional study. The studied population was divided into two groups: Group A (workers in direct contact with Covid patients) and Group B (workers not in direct contact with patients). Stress scores, serum morning cortisol levels, systolic and diastolic BP and heart rate of all the participants were measured and compared with controls using a Student's t-test. Stress scores of HCW in direct contact with patients were correlated with heart rate, systolic and diastolic BP, and serum morning cortisol levels and Pearson correlation coefficient (r) were calculated. Results: Stress scores are significantly increased whereas serum morning cortisol levels, heart rate and systolic and diastolic BP were non-significantly increased in Group A as compared with controls that is, Group B (P < 0.05). Stress scores of HCW in direct contact with patients were found to correlate strongly with serum morning cortisol levels, heart rate and systolic and diastolic BP with r values 0.397 (P < 0.0001), 0.322 (P < 0.001), 0.717 (P < 0.001), and 0.810 (P < 0.0001), respectively. Conclusion: Stress scores were elevated in HCW in direct contact with patients and were strongly correlated with serum cortisol levels, heart rate, and BP. It is the responsibility of the health authorities to implement strategies to manage this psychological stress. © 2022 Medical Journal of Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth ;Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow.
ABSTRACT
Chronic stress is a relevant disease to periodontal practice, encompassing 25%-28% of the US population (American Psychological Association 2015). While it is well established that chronic psychologic stress can have significant deleterious systemic effects, only in recent decades have we begun to explore the biochemical, microbial, and physiologic impacts of chronic stress diseases on oral tissues. Currently, chronic stress is classified as a "risk indicator" for periodontal disease. However, as the evidence in this field matures with additional clinically controlled trials, more homogeneous data collection methods, and a better grasp of the biologic underpinnings of stress-mediated dysbiosis, emerging evidence suggests that chronic stress and related diseases (depression, anxiety) may be significant contributing factors in periodontal/peri-implant disease progression and inconsistent wound healing following periodontal-related therapeutics. Ideal solutions for these patients include classification of the disease process and de-escalation of chronic stress conditions through coping strategies. This paper also summarizes periodontal/implant-related therapeutic approaches to ensure predictable results for this specific patient subpopulation.