Can stress trigger diseases ?

Whenever a demand is set upon the body it provides a response which is defined as stress. It is impossible to have a stress-free life since we are constantly exposed to some stressful situations.

The primarily stress hormone is cortisol, which is secreted by the adrenal glands and when we experience a stress the levels of cortisol become elevated in order to manage the stress. However, when the body tries to manage the stress it secretes certain byproducts that may cause certain ailments and diseases and the majority of these diseases are, unfortunately, serious medical conditions so the management of stress is very important.

Stress caused diseases

Psychosomatic diseases are the diseases which occur since the mind makes the body prone to their development. For example, when one partner dies soon after the death of his/her loved one the officials will tell that the cause is the heart attack while the common people will usually say that the person died from the broken heart. In such cases, due to prolonged emotional stress the person develops a physical disease which is then called psychogenic disease. Thus, in psychogenic disease the mind makes the body prone to natural degenerative processes so that certain Somatogenic diseases occur, for example, asthma and cancers. Stress may lead to the occurrence of high blood pressure which is scientifically called as hypertension. When that occurs the bloods makes a strong pressure on the walls of the bloods channels so it may happen that the bloods vessels may rupture and the blood will not reach all parts in the body. Furthermore, it is very dangerous if the blood vessel rupture occurs in the brain since then brain hemorrhage occurs which is a life-threatening condition. Another disease caused by stress is apoplexy which is the medical term for stroke when the brain is not supplied with enough amounts of oxygen due to some obstruction or bursting of the arteries. Stomach ulcers are also likely to develop due to constant exposure to stress. The lining of the stomach is protected by mucus buts its secretion is cut down when the capillaries in the stomach lining are constricted due to norepinphrine which is produced when a stress is present. Thus, the lining of the stomach becomes weak and the stomach acids easily makes sore on it which is a stomach ulcer.

Other medical conditions which development may be caused by stress are rheumatoid arthritis, coronary heart disease, cancer, asthma, headaches and many others.