Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• de Brouwer, S.J.M.
• van Middendorp, H.
• Stormink, C.
• Kraaimaat, F.W.
• Sweep, F.C.G.J.
• de Jong, E.M.G.J.
• Schalkwijk, J.
• Eijsbouts, A.
• Donders, A.R.T.
• van de Kerkhof, P.C.M.
• van Riel, P.L.C.M.
• Evers, A.W.M.

Titel

The psychophysiological stress response in psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis

Ist Teil von

• British journal of dermatology (1951), 2014-04, Vol.170 (4), p.824-831

Ort / Verlag

Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2014

Quelle

Wiley Blackwell Single Titles

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Summary Background Psychosocial stress can be a risk factor for the maintenance and exacerbation of chronic inflammatory diseases, such as psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Objectives To gain insight into the specificity of the psychophysiological stress response during chronic inflammation, we assessed autonomic and neuroendocrine responses to stress in different chronic inflammatory diseases. Methods Thirty patients with psoriasis (nine women, mean age 58·5 years ± 12·4), 34 patients with RA (16 women, mean age 60·8 years ± 9·2) and 25 healthy controls (16 women, mean age 55·6 years ± 8·7) underwent a standardized psychosocial stress task (Trier Social Stress Test). Salivary levels of α‐amylase and cortisol and self‐reported tension levels were measured before and after the stress test. Results The cortisol response to stress was heightened in patients with psoriasis compared with patients with RA and healthy controls, whereas there were no differences in the autonomic and self‐reported measures. Conclusions The altered neuroendocrine stress response in patients with psoriasis suggests that stressful events might have different physiological consequences for specific patient groups with chronic inflammatory conditions, possibly adversely affecting disease status. What's already known about this topic? Psychological stress can be a risk factor for maintenance and exacerbation of chronic inflammatory conditions, such as psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is not yet fully known whether patients with various chronic inflammatory conditions show distinct physiological stress response patterns. What does this study add? This is the first study to compare the psychophysiological stress response of patients with psoriasis, patients with RA and healthy controls. Patients with psoriasis show a heightened cortisol response to an experimentally induced real‐life stressor compared with patients with RA and controls.