Does exposure to parasites modify relationships between diurnal cortisol and leukocytes among Honduran women?

Background: Altered hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function and related changes in circulating glucocorticoids have been implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases that involve dysregulated immune function. Glucocorticoid hormones have both direct and indirect modulatory effects on both pro- and anti-inflammatory aspects of the immune system, including granulocytic and lymphocytic leukocyte subsets. However, past findings are complicated by inconsistencies across studies in how glucocorticoids and immune markers interact and relate to disease risk.

Health costs of reproduction are minimal despite high fertility, mortality and subsistence lifestyle.

Women exhibit greater morbidity than men despite higher life expectancy. An evolutionary life history framework predicts that energy invested in reproduction trades-off against investments in maintenance and survival. Direct costs of reproduction may therefore contribute to higher morbidity, especially for women given their greater direct energetic contributions to reproduction.