Hematological and immunological effects of stress of air traffic controllers in northeastern Brazil

Valdenilson Ribeiro Ribas, Hugo André de Lima Martins, Marcelo Tavares Viana, Simone do Nascimento Fraga, Severino Marcos de Oliveira Carneiro, Bruno Henrique Andrade Galvão, Alice Andrade Bezerra, Célia Maria Machado Barbosa de Castro, Everton Botelho Sougey, Raul Manhães de Castro

Several studies have shown that stress and emotional reactions can affect immune responses in animals and humans. The aim of this study was to evaluate hematological and immunological effects of stress on air traffic controllers. Thirty air traffic controllers and 15 aeronautical information service operators were evaluated. The groups were divided as information service operators with 10 years or more of experience (AIS≥10) and with less than 10 years in the profession (AIS<10) and air traffic controllers with 10 years or more of experience (ATCo≥10) and with less than 10 years in the profession (ATCo<10). Blood samples were drawn at 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The paired t-test was used to compare monocyte and nitric oxide concentrations and ANOVA was used for the other parameters. The ATCo≥10 group presented a significantly lower phagocytosis rate of monocytes at 2:00 p.m. compared to 8:00 a.m. Moreover, the ATCo≥10 group presented lower hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, platelet and leukocyte levels, and increased cortisol concentrations at 8:00 a.m. compared to the other groups. Additionally, this group had lower phagocytosis rate of monocytes, and hemoglobin, platelet, leukocyte, basophils and nitric oxide levels at 2:00 p.m. compared to the other groups. Stress seems to greatly affect immune responses of air traffic controllers with more than ten years of experience.