Wound Healing Consequences of Psychological Stress

The relationship of psychological stress to human health is of interest to health care providers and researchers in the field of psychoneuroimmunology. The effect of stress on wound healing is a sub-component of study within the larger context, with relevance to both wounds that are acute and chronic in nature. Data from several studies that explore the influence of stress on events early in the trajectory of wound healing suggest that activation of both the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis are involved. There is consistent evidence that psychological stress is associated with dysregulation of immune and other responses to tissue injury that are required for healing and also to the final wound healing result. Current data pertinent to psychological stress and its wound healing consequences is reviewed and a biopsychosocial framework for future studies in this area is suggested and described.