IMPAIRED SERUM CORTISOL STRESS RESPONSE IS A PREDICTOR OF EARLY RELAPSE

— Aims: to investigate a possible association of cortisol stress response during early abstention with relapse. Methods: Thirty-six alcohol-dependent males, half of them with a comorbid anxiety disorder, and 15 healthy controls were exposed to a standardized psychosocial stress test. Thirty-one of the patients were assessed for relapse 6 weeks after discharge. Results: The relapsers showed almost no cortisol responses in the stress test. Comorbid anxiety disorder influenced neither stress response nor relapse. Conclusions: During early abstention from alcohol, reduced stress-responsivity of the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenocortical axis seems to be connected to early relapse.