TY - JOUR
T1 - Immune responses to stress after stress management training in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
AU - de Brouwer, Sabine J M
AU - van Middendorp, Henriët
AU - Kraaimaat, Floris W
AU - Radstake, Timothy R D J
AU - Joosten, Irma
AU - Donders, A Rogier T
AU - Eijsbouts, Agnes
AU - Spillekom-van Koulil, Saskia
AU - van Riel, Piet L C M
AU - Evers, Andrea W M
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - INTRODUCTION: Psychological stress may alter immune function by activating physiological stress pathways. Building on our previous study, in which we report that stress management training led to an altered self-reported and cortisol response to psychological stress in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we explored the effects of this stress management intervention on the immune response to a psychological stress task in patients with RA.METHODS: In this study, 74 patients with RA, who were randomly assigned to either a control group or a group that received short stress management training, performed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) 1 week after the intervention and at a 9-week follow-up. Stress-induced changes in levels of key cytokines involved in stress and inflammatory processes (for example, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8) were assessed.RESULTS: Basal and stress-induced cytokine levels were not significantly different in patients in the intervention and control groups one week after treatment, but stress-induced IL-8 levels were lower in patients in the intervention group than in the control group at the follow-up assessment.CONCLUSIONS: In line with our previous findings of lower stress-induced cortisol levels at the follow-up of stress management intervention, this is the first study to show that relatively short stress management training might also alter stress-induced IL-8 levels in patients with RA. These results might help to determine the role of immunological mediators in stress and disease.TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Netherlands National Trial Register (NTR1193)
AB - INTRODUCTION: Psychological stress may alter immune function by activating physiological stress pathways. Building on our previous study, in which we report that stress management training led to an altered self-reported and cortisol response to psychological stress in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we explored the effects of this stress management intervention on the immune response to a psychological stress task in patients with RA.METHODS: In this study, 74 patients with RA, who were randomly assigned to either a control group or a group that received short stress management training, performed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) 1 week after the intervention and at a 9-week follow-up. Stress-induced changes in levels of key cytokines involved in stress and inflammatory processes (for example, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8) were assessed.RESULTS: Basal and stress-induced cytokine levels were not significantly different in patients in the intervention and control groups one week after treatment, but stress-induced IL-8 levels were lower in patients in the intervention group than in the control group at the follow-up assessment.CONCLUSIONS: In line with our previous findings of lower stress-induced cortisol levels at the follow-up of stress management intervention, this is the first study to show that relatively short stress management training might also alter stress-induced IL-8 levels in patients with RA. These results might help to determine the role of immunological mediators in stress and disease.TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Netherlands National Trial Register (NTR1193)
KW - Adult
KW - Arthritis, Rheumatoid
KW - Cytokines
KW - Female
KW - Humans
KW - Male
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Psychotherapy
KW - Stress, Psychological
KW - Journal Article
KW - Randomized Controlled Trial
KW - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
U2 - 10.1186/ar4390
DO - 10.1186/ar4390
M3 - Article
C2 - 24274618
SN - 1478-6354
VL - 15
SP - R200
JO - Arthritis Research & Therapy
JF - Arthritis Research & Therapy
IS - 6
ER -