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Robert T. Chatterton, Psychological Stress and Skydiving—Author’s Responsed, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 83, Issue 4, 1 April 1998, Pages 1397–1398, https://doi.org/10.1210/jcem.83.4.4734-4
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Dugué, in the letter above, implies that there is a significant difference between the data of his group and that published by us (1). However, the only analyte measured by both of us was cortisol in men before a parachute jump. His group found a mean increase in serum cortisol of from 504 to 582 mmol/L, P< 0.15 (2). In females the difference was even less significant. There did appear to be a hemoconcentration effect in his subjects, but it was only 2.0% (3). We also found no significant increase before the actual experience of parachuting. Assuming their initial value was actually 504 nmol/L rather than 504 mmol/L as listed, it would appear that their subjects were quite stressed at the time of the initial blood sample. This may, in part, be because blood was drawn by venipuncture, a stressful procedure for many persons.
In our case an indwelling catheter was inserted early in the day; the initial mean value at 0800 h for the parachutists on the day of the skydive was 250 nmol/L and at 1230 h was 225 nmol/L. We did include control day data on the parachutists, but only at one time during the day. The mean cortisol concentration in the parachutists themselves at 1400 h, 3–5 days before the skydive, was 226 nmol/L. Our subjects were also seated for at least 15 min before the preboarding sample was obtained. Hemoglobin measurements were not taken but, if similar to those of Dugué et al. (2), little correction for hemoconcentration would have been necessary.
