Stress contributes to chronic diseases

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 10 (UPI) -- A U.S. and Canadian review found stress is a contributing factor in human disease -- in particular depression, cardiovascular disease and HIV/AIDS.

The review, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found stress is associated with the onset of depression as well as relapse in people who have recovered. In addition, chronic stress -- such as stress experienced daily in the workplace -- contributes to cardiovascular illnesses such as coronary heart disease stress speeds the progression of HIV/AIDS.

Sheldon Cohen and Denise Janicki-Deverts of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and Gregory E. Miller of the University of British Columbia say stress hurts health in two ways.

One is behavioral -- people under stress sleep poorly and are less likely to exercise; adopt poor eating habits, smoke more and don’t comply with medical treatment. However, the second is biological. Stress triggers a response by the body’s endocrine systems, which release hormones that influence multiple other biological systems, including the immune system.