Stress and immunity in humans: a meta-analytic review.

Abstract

This article presents a meta-analysis of the literature on stress and immunity in humans. The primary analyses include all relevant studies irrespective of the measure or manipulation of stress. The results of these analyses show substantial evidence for a relation between stress and decreases in functional immune measures (proliferative response to mitogens and natural killer cell activity). Stress is also related to numbers and percent of circulating white blood cells, immunoglobulin levels, and antibody titers to herpesviruses. Subsequent analyses suggest that objective stressful events are related to larger immune changes than subjective self-reports of stress, that immune response varies with stressor duration, and that interpersonal events are related to different immune outcomes than nonsocial events. We discuss the way neuroendocrine mechanisms and health practices might explain immune alteration following stress, and outline issues that need to be investigated in this area.

Increased emotional distress in daughters of breast cancer patients is associated with decreased natural cytotoxic activity, elevated levels of stress hormones and decreased secretion of Th1 cytokines

“…Chronic stress induces inherent changes in lymphocyte functions, whereas immunologic impairment in acute stress is attributed to transient redistribution and, hence, to a change in the numbers of lymphocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood. 37 NCA was tested in various chronic stress situations and found to be decreased compared to matched controls. 19,20 Reduced NK activity in relatives of breast cancer patients has been demonstrated in a few studies, which generally examined cytotoxic activity against NK-sensitive target cells.…”

“…To test this association, we studied immune functions like NCA and Th1 cytokines, which have a specific influence on the health state and defense against cancer. 21,37 Although the association between impaired NCA and the development of breast cancer has not been established, research on humans and other species points to a significant role of NCA in preventing the development of cancer, including breast cancer, and its metastases. [1][2][3][4]8,9 Additional studies doc- norepinephrine levels and state anxiety, (d) IL-2-induced NCA and emotion-focused coping, (e) IL-2-induced NCA and problem-focused coping, (f) IL-2-induced NCA and perceived control, (g) norepinephrine levels vs. perceived control, (h) IL-2 secretion and perceived control, (i) norepinephrine levels and IL-2-induced NCA and (j) epinephrine levels and IL-2 secretion.…”

Disease severity, mental health, and quality of life of children and adolescents with asthma

“…Psychoneuroimmunology has demonstrated responses of the immune system to psychological stress such as cell trafficking, mitogene-stimulated blastogenesis, and natural killer cell cytotoxicity. 12 On the other hand, psychological interventions such as autogenic training, hypnotic suggestion, and conditioning interventions are linked to immune modulation and may have an impact on physiologic response. 13 The reactivity of the pulmonary system especially to short-term, severe life events, and to caregiver stress causing bronchoconstriction and reduction in pulmonary flow rates has been described repeatedly (e.g., by Isenberg et al 14 ).…”

An inflammatory review of glucocorticoid actions in the CNS

“…Specifically, it became clear that early in the stress response, before the stress-induced rise in GC levels can have its effects on target tissues, immune function is activated rather than suppressed (Herbert and Cohen 1993). Munck and colleagues, in a highly influential theoretical paper, posited that the anti-inflammatory effect of elevated concentrations of GCs functions to mediate recovery, after the stressor has abated, from the immune-activating effects of the early phases of the stress response (Munck et al 1984).…”