Stress and disease: the concept after 50 years

Area of Science:

• Biological sciences
• Social sciences
• Medical sciences

Background:

• The term 'stress' lacks a universal definition in biological and social systems.
• Scientists effectively communicate about stress by measuring its sources and effects on organisms.
• Stressors can be concrete (biological/medical) or informational (social/behavioral), mediated by the central nervous system.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the concept of stress and its role in disease.
• To examine how biological and social sciences approach the study of stress.
• To establish the connection between stress, adaptation, and disease.

Main Methods:

• Observational studies of stress sources and their effects.
• Analysis of how psychological stressors influence physiological functions.
• Review of established stress theory in medicine.

Main Results:

• Psychological stressors can induce biochemical changes and contribute to disease.
• Disease is understood as a threat to an organism's dynamic steady state.
• Disease manifestations are largely adaptive responses to integrity threats.

Conclusions:

• The stress theory of disease, as proposed by Cannon and Selye, is well-supported.
• All diseases can be viewed as disorders of adaptation.
• Understanding stress is crucial for comprehending disease etiology and progression.