When the Mind Turns on the Body: How Stress can Cause Autoimmune Disease

Writer: Zahin Zaman

Editor: Shane McGlone

Introduction

In recent years, patients and doctors alike have wondered: Can stress make me sick? While stress is widely recognized as an important factor in our health, its role in the development and progression of autoimmune disorders is only beginning to receive sufficient attention. Autoimmune diseases occur when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues, leading to chronic and sometimes disabling health conditions. Recent research suggests that stress, especially when intense or prolonged, can both trigger and accelerate autoimmune disease. The intersection of psychosocial health and autoimmunity invites not only scientific analysis, but also a conversation about the ethics of care, prevention, and societal responsibility for disease.

How is Stress Related to Autoimmunity?

Both physical and psychological stress follow a pathway in the body which can disrupt immune system regulation, leading to a shift towards increased inflammation and immune dysfunction. Researchers in the United Arab Emirates were able to compile information linking autoimmune disease to a specific pathway (Alzaabi et al., 2025). The activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is induced by stress, followed by the release of hormones such as cortisol in response to a stimulus. Overactivation of the HPA axis can be linked to hormonal imbalances causing “immune dysregulation”. This is characterized by the increased production of inflammatory cytokines, a type of protein that acts as a messenger, causing skewed immune cell responses, and sometimes the production of antibodies that attack healthy tissue (Stojanovich & Marisavljevich, 2007). Several studies show that both trauma and ongoing psychological stress can lead to spikes in disease activity and even onset of autoimmune conditions such as Lupus and Type 1 Diabetes from the aforementioned signals. This causes a vicious cycle wherein the illness-related stress causes more immune dysfunction.

Evidence

Up to 80% of individuals with autoimmune disease report experiencing significant emotional or physical stress before the onset of their condition (Serraino & Serraino, 2025).

In one study, 100,000 people with stress-related disorders were studied and compared to 126,000 of their siblings and another million without stress-related disorders. It was concluded that those individuals were more likely to be diagnosed or develop autoimmune diseases (Song et al., 2018).

Reviews of observational studies, compilations of research, and animal studies show us that there is a link between childhood adversity, adult psychological stress, and the development of worsening of autoimmune disease (Dube et al., 2009).

Ethical Implications

Understanding the link between stress and autoimmunity is crucial for advocating better support systems, screening, and holistic management for those at risk. Ethically, it underscores the importance of biopsychosocial approaches to care– taking patients’ mental and emotional health as seriously as their physical symptoms.

Key Points

Stress can trigger or worsen autoimmune disease by disrupting immune function and increasing inflammation.

Emotional well-being is a medical and ethical priority for the autoimmune population.

Interventions to reduce stress could help prevent new autoimmune cases and improve disease outcomes, demanding bioethical attention to societal stressors and healthcare access.

References:

1. Alzaabi, A. A., Alzaabi, F. M., Tarawneh, D. J. A., Tarawneh, Y. J. A., Khan, A., Khan, M. a. M., Siddiqui, T. W., Siddiqui, R. W., Nishat, S. M. H., & Siddiqui, S. W. (2025). The impact of stress on autoimmune disorders: Type 1 diabetes mellitus and systemic lupus erythematosus. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.81228

2. Dube, S. R., Fairweather, D., Pearson, W. S., Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., & Croft, J. B. (2009). Cumulative childhood stress and autoimmune diseases in adults. Psychosomatic Medicine, 71(2), 243–250. https://doi.org/10.1097/psy.0b013e3181907888

3. Serraino, C., & Serraino, C. (2025, April 14). Stress & Autoimmune disease: Navigating the complex relationship » Global Autoimmune Institute. Global Autoimmune Institute » Empowering Solutions for Autoimmune Disease. https://www.autoimmuneinstitute.org/articles/stress-autoimmune-disease-navigating-the-complex-relationship/

4. Song, H., Fang, F., Tomasson, G., Arnberg, F. K., Mataix-Cols, D., De La Cruz, L. F., Almqvist, C., Fall, K., & Valdimarsdóttir, U. A. (2018). Association of Stress-Related Disorders with subsequent autoimmune disease. JAMA, 319(23), 2388. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.7028

5. Stojanovich, L., & Marisavljevich, D. (2007). Stress as a trigger of autoimmune disease. Autoimmunity Reviews, 7(3), 209–213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autrev.2007.11.007