Stress, psychological trauma linked to lupus

Psychological stress associated with exposure to trauma appears to boost the odds of women developing lupus, according to a study by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital researchers. Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which skin, joints, and internal organs become inflamed.

When contrasted with women who had not experienced trauma, women with post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) were found to have nearly triple the risk of having lupus. Women who had been exposed to trauma, but did not having PTSD symptoms, had more than double the risk.

The study was published September 20, 2017 in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

“There is a lot of research showing that mental health, stress and trauma affect physical health and serious physical illnesses, like lupus,” lead author Andrea Roberts, research scientist in the Department of Environmental Health, said in a September 20, 2017 New York Times article. “Things going on in our minds really affect our physical health.”

Other Harvard Chan School authors included Laura Kubzansky and Karestan Koenen.

Read the New York Times article: A Stress Link to Lupus

Learn more

Study finds first molecular genetic evidence of PTSD heritability (Harvard Chan School press release)

Halting the Legacy of PTSD (Harvard Public Health magazine)

Trauma and PTSD symptoms linked to increased risk of blood clots in women (Harvard Chan School press release)

PTSD doubles diabetes risk in women (Harvard Chan School press release)