Scientists have confirmed a direct link between stress and autoimmune diseases

They say that all diseases of the nerves. And in General, do not lie. The relationship between persistent adverse experiences and the development of autoimmune diseases proved by far.

Scientists from the University of Iceland and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm 30 years studied the lifestyle and health status over a million people from Sweden.

This group was compared with those who have for 30 years there was serious problems with stress. The result was a vivid and quite unpleasant.

Approximately 100 thousand (10%) of them were formally diagnosed with any disorder associated with stress, for example:

• acute stress reaction;
• the psychological shock of different origin;
• adjustment disorder;
• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In people who had experienced a prolonged acute stress, 30-40% more likely to have autoimmune diseases.
Autoimmune disease is called a condition in which the immune system for no clear reason begins to attack our own cells, causing the development of internal inflammations. Now one of the reasons became apparent.

The list of diseases, the development of which provokes stress, included 41 autoimmune disease, including:

• psoriasis;
• rheumatoid arthritis;
• Crohn’s disease (chronic, lasting longer than 6 months, the disease gastrointestinal tract);
• celiac disease (digestive disorders associated with gluten intolerance).

Interestingly, the people who, after PTSD had been treated with antidepressants, in the future less likely to suffer from internal inflammation.

Scientists draw from their observations, one main conclusion: if you are experiencing severe emotional distress – looking for a way to get rid of stress. Depend on your health and life.

If the stress level is relatively small, it is possible to try to cope on their own. How to do it, Lifehacker wrote many times – for example, here and here.

But in complicated cases, simple methods may not help, so it is important to consult a specialist and undergo psychotherapy or antidepressants.