Patients with high stress hormone at increased death risk: Lancet

London : A team of UK scientists, led by an Indian-origin researcher, has found that Covid-19 patients with extremely high levels of stress hormone cortisol in their blood are more likely to deteriorate quickly and die.

The study from Imperial College London, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, provides the first data to show that cortisol levels are a marker of the severity of the illness.

The researchers suggest cortisol levels can be used to identify those patients who are more likely to need intensive care.

Cortisol is produced by the body in response to stress such as illness, triggering changes in metabolism, heart function and the immune system to help our bodies cope.

Our cortisol levels when healthy and resting are 100-200 nm/L and nearly zero when we sleep, the study said. When ill patients have low levels of cortisol, it can be life-threatening. Excessive levels of cortisol during illness can be equally dangerous, leading to increased risk of infection and poor outcomes.

"From an endocrinologist's perspective, it makes sense that those Covid-19 patients who are the sickest will have higher levels of cortisol, but these levels are worryingly high,: said study lead researcher Waljit Dhillo from Imperial College London in the UK.

In the new observational study of 535 patients, of whom 403 were confirmed to have Covid-19, cortisol levels in patients with Covid-19 were significantly higher than in those without.