Stressful life events and skin diseases: disentangling evidence from myth

Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
A Picardi, Damiano Abeni

Abstract

The possibility of a causal influence of emotional stress, especially of stressful life events, on the course of various skin diseases has long been postulated. Clinical wisdom and experience, as well as many anecdotal observations and uncontrolled case series, support this opinion. We reviewed the available evidence on the role of stressful life events in triggering or exacerbating skin diseases. The role of stressful events in vitiligo, lichen planus, acne, pemphigus and seborrhoeic dermatitis was either controversial or insufficiently explored. The role of stressful events in psoriasis, alopecia areata, atopic dermatitis and urticaria was apparently clearer. However, only a few studies met acceptable methodological standards for stress measurement. Also, few studies considered common potential confounding factors (e.g. age, duration of illness, familial factors), and no study controlled adequately for the influence of other crucial factors (e.g. discontinuation of treatment, seasonal effects). Adding that the large majority of studies were retrospective, it seems wise to conclude that only preliminary evidence has been published so far on the role of stressful life events in bringing on or worsening any dermatological diseas...Continue Reading

Citations

Apr 5, 2008·Der Hautarzt; Zeitschrift für Dermatologie, Venerologie, und verwandte Gebiete·A V MitschenkoU Gieler
Jan 22, 2010·Archives of Dermatological Research·Karin SartoriusOlle Johansson
Jun 3, 2009·Inflammation·A Kasperska-ZajacB Rogala
Jul 27, 2007·Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology : Official Publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology·Mine OzkanBahattin Colakoğlu
Jun 24, 2008·The International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis·Ria Willemsen, Johan Vanderlinden
Nov 17, 2008·Psychology & Health·Man Cheung ChungEdward R Kaminski
Feb 18, 2006·Dermatology : International Journal for Clinical and Investigative Dermatology·Silla M ConsoliLaurent Misery
Jan 25, 2008·Dermatology : International Journal for Clinical and Investigative Dermatology·S Morell-DuboisE Delaporte
Sep 5, 2003·Psychosomatics·A PicardiM Biondi
Jul 30, 2011·BMC Public Health·Nicola MagnavitaAntonio Bergamaschi
Oct 3, 2008·Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·Mary P KlinckIlana R Reisner
Aug 31, 2013·Nutrients·Carolina CiacciPaola Iovino
Jan 1, 2010·Indian Journal of Psychiatry·Rahul Kumar, Vikram K Yeragani
Dec 25, 2010·Indian Journal of Psychiatry·K H BasavarajR Rashmi
Dec 19, 2001·Lancet·V A Randall
Jun 22, 2014·Archives of Dermatological Research·R G R AlbuquerqueM L Andersen
Dec 3, 2014·Clinics in Dermatology·Edith Orion, Ronni Wolf
Jul 6, 2014·Occupational Medicine·D BöhmK Breuer
Oct 29, 2013·Clinics in Dermatology·Edith Orion, Ronni Wolf
Mar 10, 2012·Annales de dermatologie et de vénéréologie·N Kluger, C Pecquet
Mar 5, 2016·Journal of Research in Medical Sciences : the Official Journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences·Fariba JaffarySayed Mohsen Hosseini
Aug 3, 2007·Actas dermo-sifiliográficas·J PeyríUNKNOWN Grupo español del Estudio SEBDERM
Nov 26, 2008·Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology·Ria WillemsenPatrick Haentjens
Jul 3, 2007·Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy = Biomédecine & Pharmacothérapie·Meital PortugalRon Kohen
Jun 2, 2007·Journal of Psychosomatic Research·Kavita VedharaNicholas Birchall
Oct 28, 2004·Experimental Dermatology·Christos C Zouboulis, Markus Böhm
Jun 10, 2004·International Journal of Dermatology·Jianguo HuangRidong Chi
Jul 15, 2004·The Australasian Journal of Dermatology·Paul A J RussoAlan J Cooper
Aug 25, 2004·Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV·M A Gupta, A K Gupta
May 21, 2009·Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV·H El-NourM Berg
Apr 23, 2003·Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV·A PicardiP Pasquini
Jan 24, 2004·Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica·Carlo NucciGiuseppe Macri
Dec 25, 2003·International Journal of Dermatology·Jianguo HuangXiaochun Wang
Jan 13, 2006·Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV·K OngenaeJ-M Naeyaert
Dec 21, 2006·Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft = Journal of the German Society of Dermatology : JDDG·Volker NiemeierUwe Gieler
Mar 22, 2008·Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV·M BergK Nordlind
Apr 22, 2008·Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV·M Blessmann WeberT F Cestari
Oct 22, 2008·International Journal of Dermatology·Ria WillemsenJohan Vanderlinden
Mar 28, 2008·Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV·L ManolacheV Benea
Mar 17, 2007·Skinmed·Virendra N SehgalTulsi Adhikari
Jun 28, 2011·International Journal of Dermatology·Kabbur H BasavarajRamesh Rashmi
Oct 5, 2010·The Journal of Dermatology·Edita SimonićIgor Kardum
Nov 3, 2011·The Journal of Dermatology·Nataša MaksimovićVesna T Spirić
Jun 29, 2011·Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV·E MazzottiP Pasquini
Jun 24, 2011·Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy·Daphne Su, Peter D Drummond

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Atopic Dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory genetically determined disease of the skin marked by increased ability to form reagin (IgE), with increased susceptibility to allergic rhinitis and asthma, and hereditary disposition to a lowered threshold for pruritus. Discover the latest research on atopic dermatitis here.

Carcinoma, Basal Cell

Basal cell carcinoma is a form of malignant skin cancer found on the head and neck regions and has low rates of metastasis. Discover the latest research on basal cell carcinoma here.