Introduction:
Stress and autoimmune conditions are quite different from one another. However, some evidence has indicated a possible link between these two. In this article, we will elaborate on the subjects of stress, autoimmune conditions and their possible link.
What is stress?
Stress can be described as a type of change that leads to physical, emotional or psychological tension. It is a natural process of our body that can be caused by a series of different factors. When you go through this reaction, your body releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Some common signs of stress include feelings of anxiety, dizziness, rapid heart rate, shakiness, body aches, etc.
What are autoimmune diseases?
An autoimmune disease is a health condition where your immune system mistakenly starts attacking the healthy tissues in your body. This condition can target various sectors of your body and give rise to a series of health issues. Some common examples include type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, lupus, etc.
Can stress cause autoimmune diseases?
There is a vast distinction between stress and autoimmune diseases, but some recent studies have managed to establish a possible link between these two. The data is derived from this study of the Association of Stress-Related Disorders, which involved over 100,000 participants who were diagnosed with stress-related disorders. The researchers then evaluated their likelihood of developing an autoimmune illness after a year and compared the reports to their 126,000 siblings, along with a million other individuals who didn’t have any stress-related disorders. The findings of this study revealed that the participants, who were diagnosed with stress-related disorders, had:
- A higher chance of developing autoimmune diseases
- A higher chance of being diagnosed with more than one autoimmune disease
- A greater incidence of autoimmune diseases if they were younger
Problems with this observation
Even though the study showed some possible association between stress and autoimmune diseases, there are certain problems with the data. For example,
- There is a decent possibility that the autoimmune conditions were already present prior to the diagnosis of the stress-related disorder, as it is not always possible to pinpoint the beginning of a stress-related disorder or an autoimmune disease. Under such circumstances, the autoimmune diseases would not have been caused by the stress-related disorder.
- Individuals under extreme stress may develop bad habits of smoking and drinking. Smoking has been previously associated with an increased risk of developing a number of autoimmune diseases, like multiple sclerosis. Hence, there’s a decent possibility that the incidence of autoimmune diseases in the study might have been influenced by factors other than stress-related disorders.
- Lastly, this study included type 2 diabetes under the category of autoimmune diseases. However, despite being the most common type of diabetes, it is not recognised as an autoimmune disease.
Conclusion:
These are some of the issues with the obtained data from the observational study. The actual link between stress or stress-related disorders and autoimmune diseases still remains cloudy. However, more research and studies in the future can provide clear details on this topic.
