Health Issue- epidemiology

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24 June 2009

STRESS

Stress from day-to-day stressors (e .g , caregiving , marital stress bereavement ) have been characterized by suppression of immune cell numbers and immune function . The same lymphocytes that show the largest increases during or shortly after exposure to acute stressors (e .g cytotoxic T cells and NK cells ) show the largest decreases during chronic stress (Herbert Cohen , 1993 . Cell proliferation and NK cell cytotoxicity are usually diminished (Kiecolt-Glaser et al , 1995 ) and antibody titers for latent viruses such as Epstein-Barr

are elevated (suggesting breakdown of cellular immunity that maintains latency of these viruses Jenkins . Baum , 1995 . In addition , stress alters responses to acute stressors , blunting typical immune changes such as increases in T cells and NK cell cytotoxicity (Pike et al , 1997 Because posttraumatic stress has been characterized as a special case of a chronic stress condition (Baum , Cohen Hall , 1993 , these studies are relevant to understanding effects of stress on illnesses and health .If properly channeled , the stress response contributes to a state of well-being by stimulating productivity and supporting optimum performance . When the stress response is elicited too intensely or too frequently and the individual is unable to find a suitable outlet however , the result is individual distress . Consider , for example , the incident below

Jhon R . Dunkins , Chairman , CEO , and President of Texas Instruments Inc was in the early stages of a major corporate downsizing when he suffered a heart attack on while

riding in a car in Stuttgart , Germany...