Abstract

ANTUNES, José. Stress and disease: what does evidence say?. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2019, vol.20, n.3, pp.590-603. ISSN 1645-0086.  https://doi.org/10.15309/19psd200304.

Stress activates a set of responses that involve multiple physiological systems of the organism. The nervous, endocrine and immune systems react in interdependence by mutually influencing the response to stress. A better understanding of these interactions that make the psychosomatic unity of the human being can, help in the understanding of patients and diseases. Decades of research have associated chronic stress with a wide range of physical and mental illnesses. Stressful life situations are currently recognized as responsible for the worsening of many diseases. This paper consists in a review of biomedical literature on the subject published in the last ten years, to highlight the advances in the understanding of these phenomena. The results point to the central role of inflammation in the response to chronic stress. The variability of the responses to chronic stress recommends the individualization of the therapeutic plans designed to accommodate the specificities of each patient. Stress-reducing interventions revealed a positive impact not only on patients' psychological adaptation but also on their biological indicators, disease progression and prognosis.

Keywords : Psychosomatic; stress; health; review.

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