Usefulness of biological markers in early detection and prevention of burnout syndrome

Abstract

Burnout is associated with a worse health self-perception and greater physical and psychiatric comorbidity. The objective of this review is to summarize in a systematic way the main biomarkers associated with the burnout syndrome: cardiovascular (blood pressure, heart rate and variability of heart rate); sleep-related (quality,fragmentation, and sleep latency); associated with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary axis (cortisol, salivary IgA, lysozime, a-amylase and chromogranin-A); related to the immune system (natural killer cells and mononuclear antibodies CD57 and CD16), and related to inflammation (TNF-a, IL-4 interleukins, fibrinogen, reactive C protein). In the next years, some of these biomarkers, mainly those related to the immune system and inflammation could become useful keys for the early detection and monitorization of this disorder.