The Study
Does stress response axis activation differ between patients with autoimmune disease and healthy people?
This study looked at how two groups of women — some with autoimmune diseases and some without — reacted to stress. It found their bodies made different amounts of a stress hormone, but it didn’t change anything to see what caused the difference. So we can only say the hormone levels were different, not that one thing caused the other.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at how women with three autoimmune diseases react to stress compared to healthy women, by measuring cortisol in their saliva.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 536 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — their bodies are making more cortisol all day long, even when not stressed, which might hurt their health over time.
- 2Healthy women: cortisol rose with stress.
- 3SLE and SS women: cortisol didn't rise.
- 4SSc women: cortisol rose like healthy women but stayed high longer.
- 5Total daily cortisol was higher in SLE and SSc women than in healthy women.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress
Year
2024
Authors
E. Montero-López, M. I. Peralta-Ramírez, N. Ortego-Centeno, J. Sabio, J. Callejas-Rubio, N. Navarrete-Navarrete, M. C. García-Ríos, A. Santos-Ruiz
Related Content
Claims (5)
Prolonged psychological stress increases the severity of autoimmune disease activity by maintaining high levels of stress hormones in the body.
Prolonged stress-related hormonal signaling can reduce the ability of the immune system to maintain balance, which may lead to a higher likelihood of autoimmune conditions.
Women with systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren's syndrome do not show an increase in salivary cortisol when exposed to psychological stress, while women without these conditions do. This suggests a difference in how the stress response system functions in these autoimmune diseases.
Women with systemic sclerosis produce more cortisol over the course of a day than healthy women, even though their immediate cortisol response to stress is similar. This suggests a difference in overall cortisol regulation that is not tied to short-term stress reactions.
Women with systemic lupus erythematosus or systemic sclerosis produce more cortisol over the course of a day than women without these conditions, suggesting that their stress hormone system remains altered even when they are not under immediate stress.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.