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Chronic stress and its impact on the immune system, vulnerability to infections and cancers
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Mohammad Bahrami    , Masoud Hassanzadeh Makoui *1 |
| 1- , dr.m.makoui@zums.ac.ir |
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Abstract: (41 Views) |
Background: Chronic stress is one of the major public health challenges that not only affects the quality of psychological life, but also has significant effects on the function of the immune system. Chronic stress not only weakens immunity, but also makes the body more vulnerable to infections. This study was conducted to review the latest findings in this field
methods: This short descriptive-review study collected and reviewed information from a number of English articles from the last few years on the effect of chronic stress on immune function and susceptibility to infections.
Results: Recent studies show that chronic stress, by disrupting the HPA axis and the sympathetic nervous system, weakens immune function and increases inflammation, susceptibility to cancer, autoimmune diseases and infection. Chronic stress can disrupt the balance of microglia and astrocytes in the brain and cause depressive and anxious behaviors. Also, perinatal stress activates PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathways and disrupts the Th17/Treg balance in offspring.
Conclusion: Chronic stress stimulates inflammatory pathways and exacerbates autoimmunity by increasing stress hormones, while suppressing protective immune responses against infection and tumor and disrupting the balance of the immune system. |
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| Keywords: Chronic stress, Immunology, Cancer, Infection, Autoimmunity |
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Type of Study: Letter to editor |
Subject:
General
Received: 2025/08/25 | Accepted: 2025/09/28
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