Anxiety, type A personality and endocrine responses to surgery

Twenty-seven patients underwent major abdominal surgery. Trait Anxiety and Type A personality were measured pre-operatively, and plasma cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline were measured pre-, per- and post-operatively. Anxiety correlated positively with noradrenaline but negatively with cortisol and adrenaline. Type A also showed opposite correlations with adrenaline and noradrenaline.