title: The role of stress in rheumatic diseases.
abstract: Rheumatology patients frequently note the occurrence of stressful or traumatic life events prior to the onset of their illness and/or a relationship between stress and disease flares. For our patients, identifying causal events could represent an effort to give meaning to a chronic and often disabling disease, while noting a link between stress and flares may proffer a sense of control. Whatever purpose the report of stress as an etiological or maintaining factor may serve, the science exploring a causal relationship between stress and autoimmune disease onset and course is expanding. Moreover, stress can also induce symptoms such as pain via nonimmunological mechanisms.
authors.forename: Afton L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hassett
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Clauw
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000503:physiopathology; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000503:physiopathology; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*