[Cortisol and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract]

Cortisol is the hormone reacting to endogenous and exogenous stress. An important role is ascribed to stress in the genesis and development of malignant and inflammatory diseases of the GIT. The authors examined in their investigation the 24-hour secretion of cortisol in patients with gastric affections, polyps of the large bowel and compared them mutually and with groups of patients with ulcerative colitis and healthy probands. In all investigated groups a 24-hour rhythm of cortisol secretion was confirmed. The only significant difference between the investigated groups was a lower 24-hour amplitude in patients with ulcerative colitis, as compared with healthy probands. The results do not suggest a significant role of cortisol in the development of premalignant diseases of the GIT.