Journal
PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
Volume 34, Issue 5, Pages 670-680Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2008.11.010
Keywords
Allergies; Psychoneuroimmunology; Stress; Anxiety; Allergic rhinitis; Skin tests
Categories
Funding
- NIH [P50 DE13749, T32 MW 8831]
- General Clinical Research Center [MO1-RR-0034]
- Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center [CA16058]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is the fifth most common chronic disease, and the association between allergic disorders and anxiety is well-documented. To investigate how anxiety and stressors modulate skin prick test (SPT) responses and associated inflammatory responses, 28 men and women with AR were selected by clinical history and skin test responses. The participants were admitted twice to a hospital research unit for 4 h in a crossover trial. Changes in SPT wheals were assessed before and after a standardized laboratory speech stressor, as welt as again the following morning; skin responses assessed twice during a tab session without a stressor and again the following morning served as the contrast condition. Anxiety heightened the magnitude of allergen-induced wheals following the stressor. As anxiety increased, SPT wheat diameters increased after the stressor, compared to a slight decrease following the control task. Anxiety also substantially enhanced the effects of stress on late phase responses: even skin tests performed the day after the stressor reflected the continuing impact of the speech stressor among the more anxious participants. Greater anxiety was associated with more IL-6 production by Con A stimulated leukocytes following the stressor compared to the control visit. The data suggest that stress and anxiety can enhance and prolong AR symptoms. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. AR rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available