STRESS

Effect of Stress

Effect of Stress

Introduction

The situation discussed here is a complex one. This case talks about the person who is living with a fear that he might lose his job anytime. He is going through an extreme stress and more specifically acute and chronic stress. Stress takes its effect through various ways, from which some of them are discussed below:

Discussion

Stress: An agent or process physical, chemical or emotional exerted on the body and causes aggression or tension can become pathological.

Stress is a body's response to aggression, characterized by a set of symptoms and behaviors: anxiety, nervous tension, fatigue, aggression, hypertension, tendency to somatization, etc. The first scientific publication on the subject in 1936, it was written by a Canadian physician Stress, general adaptation syndrome, originally meant the response or non-specific defense reaction taking place in the body. Then the meaning of the term expanded to include the agent responsible for this reaction.

The Three phases of stress

The biological manifestations of stress and reactions to this state differ according to each individual. In general, they evolve in three phases.

Alarm phase or initial phase, with putting into play of the defense mechanisms of the body through increased secretion of adrenocortical hormone, it is accompanied by a shock with fall of blood pressure, lowering the body temperature, increased heart rate and breathing, elevated blood sugar, increased sweating, dilated pupils, and slowing digestion.

Phase of adaptation or resistance phase, during which the mechanisms involved in the alarm phase are compensated or even reversed, elevated blood pressure and temperature. If the attack does not stop, the body remains alert and cannot compensate for damage caused by this alert.

Exhaustion phase: if the factors of stress persist, coping mechanisms are overwhelmed and give up. Assault including prolonged weakens the body's energy reserves, because of the expense incurred by the response to aggression.

Effect of Stress

The adrenal glands are actively synthesize and secrete hormones throughout the entire duration of the stress factor. Particularly active adrenal cortex - as a result of chronic stress is its hypertrophy (increase above the norm).Hormone secreted by the adrenal cortex during stress

Glucocorticoids have the ability to stimulate the transport of amino acids from muscle protein (striated muscle) and fatty acids from adipose tissue and transported to the liver.

In the liver from amino acids and fatty acids in the process of gluconeogenesis is formed glucose to be transferred then to glycogen - polysaccharide that performs the function of stocking. Glucocorticoids also have anti-inflammatory effect.

Aldosterone is necessary for normal kidney function, promotes the reabsorption (reuptake of renal filtrate in the blood of the ions Na +), which leads to water retention in the body.

The depletion of the adrenal glands is yet another problem.In case of insufficiency of the adrenal cortex is reduced intake of hormones in the blood. This is manifested by the following symptoms:

Hyper pigmentation of the skin and mucous membranes (they get a bronze tint)

weakens the heart muscle, there is hypotension (lowering of the hydrostatic pressure in the vessels),

increased fatigue and susceptibility to infections,

disturbed fluid ...