Study: Chronic Stress Linked to Autoimmune Disorder

Stress affects more than just your mentality; it also affects your physical health. When you are stressed, certain biochemical changes occur in your body. Your hormone levels change, your metabolism changes and more. And according to a new study, chronic, severe stress can lead to autoimmune disorder.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that people who suffer from chronic, severe stress were more likely to develop an autoimmune disorder than their counterparts who didn't suffer from stress. For the study, researchers from the University of Iceland analyzed medical data involving more than 100,000 adults. Researchers found that participants with a stress disorder were more likely to develop one of 41 different autoimmune disorders -- Chron's disease, arthritis, Celiac disease, etc. --than participants who experienced little or no stress.

While each autoimmune disorder is different, they are all characterized by the same basic function: The immune system believes the person's body is being attacked by a foreign invader, so it responds by neutralizing the substance with inflammatory compounds. The problem is that the immune system wrongfully identifies otherwise harmless substances as foreign invaders. Someone with seasonal nasal allergies, for example, may develop characteristic symptoms like sneezing, runny nose and headache when exposed to certain types of pollen. This is because the person's immune system thinks the pollen is a foreign invader, thereby attacking and neutralizing it with inflammatory compounds.

Of course, this isn't the first time that chronic, severe stress has been linked to autoimmune disorder. Numerous other studies have linked stress to autoimmune disorder. 

Researchers were reluctant to answer why or how stress contributes to autoimmune disorder. However, some believe that it could be related to unhealthy lifestyle habits. People who suffer from severe, chronic stress are more likely to engage in unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking alcohol and not sleeping than their counterparts with low stress levels.

“We need more studies to inform the potential underlying mechanism behind the association," said the study's author and researcher. "For example exploring potential genetic and early environmental contributors and the effect of alternations in health-related behavior."

So, what should you take away from this study? Basically, you should heed this study as a warning to the health effects of chronic, severe stress. Some people brush off stress as being a normal occurrence in life. While everyone experiences stress at some point during their life, chronic or severe stress can take a toll on your health, potentially even suppressing your immune system or causing other autoimmune problems.