Why does stress make autoimmune conditions worse?

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I know that extended periods of stress cause your body to release cortisol, which inhibits your immune response to save resources, so why is it that stress makes autoimmune conditions worse/flair up?

In: Biology

2 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Nobody knows for sure, but it’s supposed that stress causes a spike in many hormones, like adrenalin, cortisol etc. as well as changes in the blood composition, which becomes more acid. All these reactions cause inflammation in the blood which stimulate the immune system and they produce more antibodies and citokines, thus aggravating auto immune diseases.

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