Stress and Sickness
Excerpt By Nicholas Regush, ABCNews.com

In times of crisis, our bodies' immune systems may take a beating - and that can make us vulnerable to illness.

Terrorism creates fear and fear often results in a state of chronic stress. That condition might knock out our ability to effectively fight disease, including infections.

While the focus in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 has largely been on the psychological and emotional difficulties people are encountering, we also need to be concerned about long-term damage to immunity.

Scientific studies on the impact of chronic stress suggest that many of the immune system's vital components can be shut down to some degree.

One study conducted by researchers at Ohio State University found that women who were caring for dementia patients took an average of nine days longer than those in a control group to heal a small biopsy wound. The researchers found that blood cells from the chronically stressed caregivers produced less of a chemical involved in immune defense that is important for wound healing.

Looking at Blood

The same team, headed by professor of medical microbiology and immunology Ronald Glaser, also learned that caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease did not produce as much of an antibody response to a flu vaccine as matched controls. Nor did the caregivers produce as much of a reaction of a vital component of the immune system known as a T-cell to the vaccine.

Did this lowered ability to respond to the influenza virus vaccine raise the possibility that a chronically stressed individual might not be able to mount an appropriate response to infection with a live virus? It did provide a clue, according to Glaser.

At a time when many chronically stressed individuals are becoming more concerned about the possible use one day of biological and chemical weapons by terrorists, this study's "clue" raises a red flag.

Chronic stress, which includes grief, can also raise blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol. It is well documented that cortisol can decrease the activity of natural killer cells. These important warriors of the immune system target infections and tumor cells.

At the University of Wisconsin, psychologist Christopher Coe showed in a study that both the number of natural killer cells and their performance declined with stress.

Stressed Students

Coe chose stressed-out students as subjects who were writing their final exams. He took blood samples before and during the exams. He separated the natural killer cells and mixed them in the lab with cancer cells.

The result: During the exams, the ability of the killer cells to kill the cancer cells was reduced.

So what do we make of these types of studies? For one thing, they suggest that sustained stress can have an impact on immunity. What is not clear is just how much daily stress is required — and for how long — to push the body into breakdown mode.

It's long been suggested that dire poverty and conflict that afflict so many on this planet breed the type of chronic stress that can damage the immune system.

My take on the emerging science on the impact of chronic stress on immunity is that we ought to take it very seriously. For instance, there are also strong data emerging that reveal the biological links between the brain and the immune system. The brain can even directly influence the immune system by sending messages to it along nerve cells. Stress the brain, and the immune system will likely hear about it.

Can the chronic stress — and its potential impact on the body — be reduced in an interlocked world where terror can emerge at any time?

I really do not think anyone has the answer. But we should keep in mind that the stakes may well turn out to be even higher than previously thought.

Reference Source 104

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