2021 Volume 28 Issue 2 Pages 11-16
Introduction: The analysis of hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) is a relatively new strategy to measure long-term cumulative cortisol level, which is increasingly used in psychoneuroendocrinological research. We measured hair cortisol levels in patients with chronic pain and in a group of control subjects. Methods: Patients with severe chronic pain, aged 20 years or older were recruited in this study. Controls were healthy adults with no pain. We compared HCC and perceived stress scale (PSS) between groups. Results: There were 30 women in each group. Median age was 72.5 years old in patient group, and 43.5 years old in control group. Regarding HCC and PSS, there was no significant difference between groups. Pearson correlation coefficient test showed no correlation between HCC and PSS. Conclusion: HCC was not higher in patients with chronic pain than controls.
