Abstract

SILVA, Leonardo Machado da  and  RIEGER, Raquel Vitola. Chronic pain, stress and their psychoneuroimmunologic implications: a literature review. Aletheia [online]. 2008, n.28, pp. 11-20. ISSN 1413-0394.

Clinically, patients often report depressive symptoms, stress and disruptive social lives. The association of these symptoms with pain has been leading researchers in Health Psychology to investigate the possible psychoneuroimmunologic mechanisms underpinning such interaction. This work reviews the concept of chronic pain and its physiological alterations due to the long term exposure to pain stressors, such as the compromising of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis (HPAA), the role of cortisol and the concept of allostatic load. Conclusion: There is a current demand for a larger number of studies involving etiological aspects of the distinct mechanisms involving chronic pain and to support possible new interventions.

Keywords : Chronic pain; Stress; Cortisol.

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