New study links chronic daily stress to HPV virus

A link between stress and poor health has been known for years, but a new study highlights how for women, chronic daily stress might be more damaging than even major stressful events, such as divorce or job loss. \nThe study recruited women in Philadelphia with cervical dysplasia – abnormal cells on the surface of the cervix –and tested them over a period of four years. The study indicates that stress might hurt the body’s ability to fight the disease. \nCarolyn Fang, an associate member of the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, said past research suggests stress is associated with the progression of cervical disease. However, few studies have examined the biological mechanisms that could be driving this association.\n“Our team wanted to see what some of the plausible biological methods there might be to see whether stress is associated with the immune response to Human Papillomavirus type 16 among women with cervical dysplasia,” Fang said.\nFang said the results of this study concluded that higher levels of stress are associated with impaired HPV-specific immune responses in women with cervical dysplasia.\n“The more stress women felt, the less likely they were to have proper immune defense,” Fang said.\nBetsy Bove, laboratory manager for the Fox Center, said while she was not surprised that stress level affects women’s immunity, she was surprised by the specific conclusions of the study. \n“Stress can actually be defined as a real effect to HPV,” Bove said. “The fact that we can identify this association is groundbreaking.”\nFang said the study has not yet determined how much stress leads to a greater risk of developing cervical cancer.\nMany strategies can reduce stress, including yoga, medication and physical exercise, Fang said. Whether each strategy is effective depends on \nthe individual. \nCathlene Hardy Hansen, director of health and wellness education at the IU Health Center, said stress can affect any part of a person’s life.\n“The more stress a person has, the body will respond in many ways that will not be helpful to their health,” Hansen said. \nHansen said there are two kinds of stress: eustress, which is helpful stress that helps to motivate an individual, and distress, which often leads to exhaustion and illness. \nHansen said some useful ways to reduce stress include taking a walk, eating well-balanced meals, avoiding caffeine and getting at least seven hours of sleep each night. She added physical touch, such as hand holding, a hug or stroking a pet can help with stress as well. \nThe fourth floor of the health center offers students discounts on massages, free fitness testing, nutrition tips and other helpful services all aimed at reducing stress and helping people live longer, healthier lives, Hansen said. \nFang said she and her group are currently launching a new five-year study to see whether reducing women’s stress affects their immune response to HPV. The women will be divided into two groups; only the first one will participate in a stress-reduction class. All women participating will have received an abnormal response from a Pap test and have a greater risk for cervical cancer. She said they will take blood and cervical samples and compare their results to a similar group of women who did not take part in a stress-reduction class. \nFang said results from this new study will not be available for several years; they are only now beginning to enroll women in the class.