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Chronic Psychological Stress and the Regulation of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines: A Glucocorticoid-Resistance Model
journal contribution
posted on 2002-11-01, 00:00 authored by Gregory E Miller, Sheldon CohenSheldon Cohen, A Kim RitcheyThis study examined whether chronic stress impairs the immune system’s capacity to respond to
hormonal signals that terminate inflammation. Fifty healthy adults were studied; half were parents of
cancer patients, and half were parents of healthy children. Parents of cancer patients reported more
psychological distress than parents of healthy children. They also had flatter diurnal slopes of cortisol
secretion, primarily because of reduced output during the morning hours. There was also evidence that
chronic stress impaired the immune system’s response to anti-inflammatory signals: The capacity of a
synthetic glucocorticoid hormone to suppress in vitro production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine
interleukin-6 was diminished among parents of cancer patients. Findings suggest a novel pathway by
which chronic stress might alter the course of inflammatory disease.