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Association Between Cortisol to DHEA-s Ratio and Sickness Absence in Japanese Male Workers

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the association between serum levels of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-s) and sickness absence over 2 years in Japanese male workers.

Method

A baseline survey including questions about health behavior, along with blood sampling for cortisol and DHEA-s, was conducted in 2009. In total, 429 men (mean ± SD age, 52.9 ± 8.6 years) from whom blood samples were collected at baseline were followed until December 31, 2011. The hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for sickness absence were calculated using a Cox proportional hazard model, adjusted for potential confounders.

Results

Among 35 workers who took sickness absences, 31 had physical illness. A high cortisol to DHEA-s ratio increased the risk of sickness absence (crude HR = 2.68, 95% CI 1.12–6.41; adjusted HR = 3.33, 95% CI 1.35–8.20). The cortisol to DHEA-s ratio was linearly associated with an increased risk of sickness absence (p for trend < .050). Single effects of cortisol and DHEA-s levels were not associated with sickness absences. This trend did not change when limited to absences resulting from physical illness.

Conclusion

Hormonal conditions related to the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenocortical axis and adrenal function should be considered when predicting sickness absence. The cortisol to DHEA-s ratio may be more informative than single effects of cortisol and DHEA-s levels.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI (grant number: 21700681) to Kumi Hirokawa.

Funding

This study was funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI (grant number: 21700681).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nursing, Baika Women’s University, 2-19-5 Shukunosho, Ibaraki, Osaka, 567-8578, Japan

    Kumi Hirokawa

  2. Department of Welfare System and Health Science, Okayama Prefectural University, 111 Kuboki, Soja, Okayama, 719-1197, Japan

    Yasuhito Fujii & Toshiyo Taniguchi

  3. Department of Public Health, Sanyo Gakuen University Graduate School of Nursing, 1-14-1 Hirai, Naka-ku, Okayama, 703-8501, Japan

    Jiro Takaki

  4. Department of Public Health, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Minami, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-0374, Japan

    Akizumi Tsutsumi

Authors
  1. Kumi Hirokawa
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  2. Yasuhito Fujii
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  3. Toshiyo Taniguchi
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  4. Jiro Takaki
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kumi Hirokawa.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Hirokawa, K., Fujii, Y., Taniguchi, T. et al. Association Between Cortisol to DHEA-s Ratio and Sickness Absence in Japanese Male Workers. Int.J. Behav. Med. 25, 362–367 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-017-9700-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-017-9700-1

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