Abstract

SANCHEZ SEGURA, Miriam; GONZALEZ GARCIA, René Marcos; MARSAN SUAREZ, Vianed  and  MACIAS ABRAHAM, Consuelo. Association between stress and the infectious, autoimmune, neoplastic and cardiovascular diseases. Rev Cubana Hematol Inmunol Hemoter [online]. 2006, vol.22, n.3. ISSN 0864-0289.

It has been thought for a long time that the psychological factors play a role that contributes to predisposition, the beginning or the course of several physical diseases. Recent studies have clearly showed the existance of a link between stress and the development of many diseases. Stress is defined as a condition that occurs when an individual percieves demands  from a situation that exceeds his resources and may increase the vulnerability of the organism to certain diseases, exerting an immunosuppressive effect. An updating is made on the influences of psychological stress on those diseases that are directly connected with immunological mechanisms, such  as infections, autoimmune diseases and neoplasias, as well as on its effect on the cardiovascular diseases. It is stressed that  opportune psychological interventions  may help to modulate the response to stress and to improve the behavior of health, teaching  more adaptative methods to  the subjects to interpretate the challenges of life with more effective answers

Keywords : Psychoneuroimmunology; central nervous system; hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis; immune system.