ReviewInternational journal of molecular sciences2025
Chronic Stress and Autoimmunity: The Role of HPA Axis and Cortisol Dysregulation.
Review in International journal of molecular sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Allostatic load in female cancer patients: a systematic review.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Pooled it
- Gut bacteria and their metabolites may influence our decisions, intelligence, cognition, and consciousness.Gut microbes · 2026Review
- Premature coronary artery disease in women: sex-specific risk factors, pathogenetic mechanisms and clinical implications.Annals of medicine · 2026Review
- Association of anxiety, depressive symptoms, and inflammatory indices with cardiometabolic multimorbidity.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- Long-term pop music exposure impairs production and reproductive performance in laying hens via neural and oxidative stress pathways.Poultry science · 2026Article
- Stress Urinary Incontinence as a Chronic Stress Model: Clinical Evidence and Emerging Epigenetic Implications for Mental Disorders.Biomedicines · 2026Article
- The Impact of Overtraining on Anxiety-Like Behavior and Tight Junction Proteins of the Blood-Brain Barrier in Mice.Brain and behavior · 2026Article
- Physiological and Proteomic Responses to Chronic Stress and the Effects ofAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Psychological Stress and Anxiety in Autoimmune Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Case-Control Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- From traditional warming and tonifying to psychoneuroimmunology: theoretical reconstruction and clinical application of moxibustion for cancer-related fatigue.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Review
- Amuc_1473 Links Gut Microbes to Skeletal Homeostasis and Counteracts Multifactorial Osteoporosis.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- A randomized controlled trial protocol of herbal formulas for modifying susceptible body constitution to enhance COVID-19 resistance in Hong Kong residents.Journal of thoracic disease · 2026Article
- Neuroprotective Potential ofBiomolecules · 2026Article
- The Potential Pathway Among Self-Focused Attention, Rumination, Perceived Stress and Female Psychosomatic Symptoms.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Lycopene attenuates dexamethasone induced depression like behavior and immunological dysfunction via restoration of neuro-immune-metabolic homeostasis in rats.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Reproduction under Siege: How Chronic Stress Hijacks the HPG Axis?Neuroendocrinology · 2026Review
- The Many Faces of Stress: Preliminary Validation of a Remote Photoplethysmography-Based Tool for Psychophysiological Stress and Emotional Distress Monitoring.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Review
- Nocturnal Dim Blue Light Is Associated with Splenic Immune Dysregulation and Altered CORT-GR Signalling in High-Fat-Diet-Fed Mice.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- A Healthy Lifestyle Can Slow Immune System Aging and Reduce Age-Related Chronic Inflammation: A Narrative Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Autoimmune diseases are chronic inflammatory conditions characterized by the breakdown of immune tolerance to self-antigens. While genetic and environmental factors play key roles, growing evidence highlights chronic stress as a significant contributor to immune dysregulation through its impact on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The HPA axis, primarily via cortisol secretion, serves as the major neuroendocrine mediator of stress responses, influencing both immune regulation and systemic homeostasis. This review synthesizes current literature on HPA axis physiology, the mechanisms of cortisol signaling, and the maladaptive effects of chronic stress. Emphasis is placed on clinical and experimental findings linking HPA dysfunction to immune imbalance and autoimmunity, as well as organ-specific consequences across neuroimmune, endocrine, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, integumentary, and musculoskeletal systems. Chronic stress leads to impaired HPA axis feedback, glucocorticoid receptor resistance, and paradoxical cortisol dysregulation, fostering a pro-inflammatory state. This dysregulation promotes cytokine imbalance, weakens protective immune mechanisms, and shifts the immune response toward autoimmunity. Evidence from both human and animal studies associates persistent HPA dysfunction with diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. HPA axis dysregulation under chronic stress constitutes a critical mechanistic link between psychological stress and autoimmune disease. Understanding these pathways provides opportunities for therapeutic interventions, including stress management, lifestyle modification, and neuroendocrine-targeted treatments. Future research should focus on multi-omics and longitudinal approaches to clarify the reversibility of HPA alterations and identify resilience factors.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.