Temporal stability of acute stressor-induced changes in cellular immunity.

This study examined the temporal stability of enumerative immune responses to acute psychosocial stress. Lymphocyte subsets were measured in 24 healthy male subjects at rest and following a speaking stressor on two occasions approximately six weeks apart. The speaking task caused significant increases in T-suppressor/cytotoxic cells, natural killer cells, T-cells, and total WBC and decreases in the T-helper/suppressor ratio. Baseline test-retest correlation's were statistically significant for all variables (r values = 0.40-0.90). With two exceptions (T-cells and T-suppressor/cytotoxic cells), speaking task values (absolute reactivity scores) were also statistically significant (r values = 0.48-0.92). Baseline adjusted test-retest correlations were however generally less reliable, with only natural killer cells (r values > 0.40), the T-helper/suppressor ratio (r = 0.60), and total WBC (r = 0.48) showing statistical significance. The findings suggest that certain but not all cellular immune responses to acute stress are moderately stable over time.