Cortisol Dysregulation in Chronic Stress: A Cross-Sectional Study of Serum  Cortisol Profiles

Sarfaraz Khan, Anoosh Qayyum, Khudija Bibi, Tooba Manzoor, Baseera Imran, Bushra Hussain, Atif Mahmood

Cortisol Dysregulation in Chronic Stress: A Cross-Sectional Study of Serum Cortisol Profiles

Authors

Sarfaraz Khan, Anoosh Qayyum, Khudija Bibi, Tooba Manzoor, Baseera Imran, Bushra Hussain, Atif Mahmood

Keywords:

Cortisol dysregulation, chronic stress, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, diurnal cortisol slope, cortisol awakening response, hypocortisolism.

Abstract

Chronic psychological stress leads topersistent activation of the hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, eventuallyresulting in neuroendocrine blunting andcortisol dysregulation. This cross-sectional study evaluated serum cortisol dynamics,diurnal slopes, and systemic metabolicmarkers across individuals experiencing

References

1. Chrousos, G. P. (2009). Stress and disorders of the stress system. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 5(7), 374–381.

2. McEwen, B. S. (1998). Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators. New England Journal of Medicine, 338(3), 171179.

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Published

2026-09-23

How to Cite

Sarfaraz Khan, Anoosh Qayyum, Khudija Bibi, Tooba Manzoor, Baseera Imran, Bushra Hussain, Atif Mahmood. (2026). Cortisol Dysregulation in Chronic Stress: A Cross-Sectional Study of Serum Cortisol Profiles . International Journal of Pharmacy Research & Technology (IJPRT), 16(2), 5287–5295. Retrieved from https://ijprt.org/index.php/pub/article/view/3175