Stress versus immunity

Abstract

Stress can be defined as a real or supposed threat to physical or psychological integrity of an individual, resulting in a physiological and /or behavioral response.1 The degree of damage caused by the stress depends on the nature, intensity and duration of the stimuli as well as the stage of gestation at which the stressor is applied.2 Dhabhar & McEwen3 showed that the activation of the physiologic stress response systems can also enhance immune function as evidenced by increase in allergic contact sensitivity or delayed-type hypersensitivity. In contrast, acute stress has no effect on the course of irritant contact sensitivity, an immune reaction that does not involve an Ag-specific memory response. Herbert & Cohen4 suggested that objective stressful events leas to larger immune changes than subjective self-reports of stress and that interpersonal events are related to different immune outcomes than non-social events.