The cortisol hormone affects many areas of the body, affecting the nervous system, the immune system, the reaction of the body to stress and the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. In contrast, the c-reactive protein is part of the response to inflammation, trauma and infection. Research studies have been done to determine whether there is a relationship between the two.
Cortisol
Cortisol is a hormone made and secreted from an area in the outer part of the adrenal gland called the zona fasciculata, as described in "Greenspan's Basic & Clinical Endocrinology" by David Aron, M.D., director at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of V.A. Medical Center. This hormone, which is made from cholesterol, has many functions. It stimulates the liver to make glucose, and tells fat, the lymphatic tissue and muscle to break down fat for energy. It affects the thyroid hormone and growth hormone, and increases the amount of glucose in the bloodstream.
C-Reactive Protein
C-reactive protein is a protein which is made by the liver, but circulates throughout the bloodstream. As part of the response of the body to trauma, inflammation, infection or malignant tumors, the liver will increase its secretion of the c-reactive protein so much, that the protein can increase 1,000 times and reach its highest level in 48 hours, according to John Imboden, M.D., chief of the Division of Rheumatology at San Francisco General Hospital. The c-reactive protein can also become high in people with coronary artery disease, signaling that they are likely to have a heart attack or stroke.
Cortisol and C-Reactive Protein in Burn Patients
In the March 2009 issue of "Annals of Burns and Fire Disasters," D. Pileri writes how burn injuries that cover at least 20 percent of the body affect the metabolism of cortisol. A research study was done to determine the relationship between the cortisol level and c-reactive protein in the bloodstream of burn injuries. The researchers concluded that cortisol levels increase in burn patients and a high level of cortisol is associated with the development of severe sepsis, or an infection in the bloodstream. Likewise, people with sepsis have a higher level of the c-reactive protein.
Cortisol and C-Reactive Protein in Depression and Anxiety
Aoife O'Donovan explains in the October 2010 issue of "Brain, Behavior, and Immunity" how depression and anxiety can lead to an inflammatory disease. This research group also measured the levels of cortisol and c-reactive protein, but in relation to depression, anxiety and stress. Their results showed that people who are very anxious have a low amount of cortisol in the morning hours, but they did not find any differences in the amount of c-reactive protein between research participants who were very anxious and those who were not. They, therefore, did not find any association between cortisol and c-reactive protein in depression and anxiety.
References
- "Annals of Burns and Fire Disasters": Serum Levels of Cortisol, Immunoglobulin,and C-Reactive Protein in Burn Patients; D. Pileri, et al.; 2009
- "Brain, Behavior, and Immunity"; Clinical Anxiety, Cortisol and Interleukin-6: Evidence for Specificity in Emotion--Biology Relationships; Aoife O'Donovan, et al.; 2010
- "Current Rheumatology Diagnosis & Treatment"; John Imboden, M.D., David Hellmann, M.D., John Stone, M.D.; 2007
- "Greenspan's Basic & Clinical Endocrinology"; David Gardner, M.D., Dolores Shoback, M.D.; 2007
