# A clinical and biochemical study to estimate the salivary alpha-amylase level in post-menopausal women with psychosomatic disorders

## TL;DR

This study shows that salivary alpha-amylase levels are higher in post-menopausal women with psychosomatic disorders, suggesting it could be used to detect stress-related conditions.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates a novel use of salivary alpha-amylase as a potential diagnostic marker for psychosomatic stress in post-menopausal women.

## Key findings

- Post-menopausal women with psychosomatic disorders had significantly higher salivary alpha-amylase levels.
- Salivary alpha-amylase may serve as a diagnostic tool for detecting psychological stress in this population.

## Abstract

The salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) is a key player in the oral cavity's starch digestion process. Only in the last decade has this enzyme come under greater scrutiny as a Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) stress marker. Acute stress has been demonstrated to cause a rise in sAA, which is associated with norepinephrine levels in the blood. As an analogous marker of Sympathoadrenal Medullary System (SAM) activity reflecting the changes during acute psychosocial stress, very few studies have directly demonstrated the sensitivity of salivary alpha-amylase levels to changes in catecholamine levels in the blood.

Extraoral and intraoral examination was conducted on 100 post-menopausal women to check for psychosomatic disorders/lesions. The ‘Spit Technique’ was used to collect Unstimulated saliva from individuals who had clinically identified Psychosomatic disorders or lesions. The ELISA technique was utilized to estimate salivary Alpha-Amylase.

The outcomes were statistically significant since they demonstrated that postmenopausal women with clinically confirmed Psychosomatic disorders/lesions had greater levels of salivary Alpha-Amylase.

The findings of this study suggest that all post-menopausal women should undergo periodic examination for acute stress. When accompanied with the clinical presence of psychosomatic disorder/lesions, salivary estimation of alpha-amylase may be utilized as a diagnostic tool for women enduring postmenopausal psychological anguish.