The state of leucocyte adhesiveness/aggregation in the peripheral blood: A new and independent marker of mental stress

Abstract

Abstract A direct slide test was used to detect the presence of aggregated white blood cells in the peripheral blood. By this means the state of leucocyte adhesiveness/aggregation (LAA) during acute mental stress was determined in 22 healthy volunteers and compared to the white blood cell count (WBCC). The LAA test proved to be more sensitive (73 per cent) as compared to the WBCC (40 per cent). This increased sensitivity is a result of a greater deviation of the LAA from normal values (obtained in 22 healthy controls) than the one obtained in the absolute cell number in the circulating pool. It is assumed that factors released during stress induce a state of increased LAA. Hence the determination of the adhesive state together with the absolute WBCC may yield a rapid, cheap and efficient laboratory criterion for the detection of mental stress.