Consequences of stress:

Illness can be caused due to chronic stress, especially if the stress occurs in tandem with familial, environmental, hereditary and personal factors that encourage its presence.

Such illnesses can arise in a variety of areas:

dermal (eczema)

cardiovascular (hypertension)

cognitive (memory problems)

pulmonary (asthma)

psychological (anxiety)

neurological (frequent headaches)

immunological (infections)

gastrointestinal (ulcers)

I agree that sudden stress and short-duration stress can cause hyperglycemia.. "Stress hyperglycemia" is a well-known entity. This pattern can develop with both pathological and psychological stress.

While in the field of pathology the entity is well-recognized, but psychological aspets are also associated and well-evidenced.

1-Moradi S et al have demonstrated pathological conditions to be associated with hyperglycemia and metabolic issues.

I agree. "Stress hyperglycemia" is a well-known entity. This pattern can develop with both pathological and psychological stress. However, people who exercise and are in good physical shape will take on stress better.

While in the field of pathology the entity is well-recognized, but psychological aspets are also associated and well-evidenced.

1-Moradi S et al have demonstrated pathological conditions to be associated with hyperglycemia and metabolic issues.

Reference: Moradi S et al. Is Stress Hyperglycemia a Predicting Factor of Developing Diabetes in Future? Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes. 2015 Nov;123(10):614-6. doi: 10.1055/s-0035-1559719.

Various psychological issues related to stress have also been shown to induce hyperglycemia and metabolic complications. Vargas J et al have demonstrated early life stresses with various metabolic complications in later life including diabetes.

Reference: Vargas J et al. Early Life Stress Increases Metabolic Risk, HPA Axis Reactivity, and Depressive-Like Behavior When Combined with Postweaning Social Isolation in Rats. PLoS One. 2016 Sep 9;11(9):e0162665. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162665. eCollection 2016.

More references supporting mental stress to diabetes are as below:

1- Feinglos M, Surwit R, Mehr SR. The how and why of stress, diabetes, and the brain. Am J Manag Care. 2014 May;20(8 Spec No.):E3.

2- Kelly SJ1, Ismail M. Stress and type 2 diabetes: a review of how stress contributes to the development of type 2 diabetes. Annu Rev Public Health. 2015 Mar 18;36:441-62. doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031914-122921.

3- Detka J1, Kurek A, Basta-Kaim A, Kubera M, Lasoń W, Budziszewska B. Neuroendocrine link between stress, depression and diabetes. Pharmacol Rep. 2013;65(6):1591-600.

I hope this helps.

Warm regards

Dr Sikandar Moradi S et al. Is Stress Hyperglycemia a Predicting Factor of Developing Diabetes in Future? Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes. 2015 Nov;123(10):614-6. doi: 10.1055/s-0035-1559719.

Various psychological issues related to stress have also been shown to induce hyperglycemia and metabolic complications. Vargas J et al have demonstrated early life stresses with various metabolic complications in later life including diabetes.

Reference: Vargas J et al. Early Life Stress Increases Metabolic Risk, HPA Axis Reactivity, and Depressive-Like Behavior When Combined with Postweaning Social Isolation in Rats. PLoS One. 2016 Sep 9;11(9):e0162665. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162665. eCollection 2016.

More references supporting mental stress to diabetes are as below:

1- Feinglos M, Surwit R, Mehr SR. The how and why of stress, diabetes, and the brain. Am J Manag Care. 2014 May;20(8 Spec No.):E3.

2- Kelly SJ1, Ismail M. Stress and type 2 diabetes: a review of how stress contributes to the development of type 2 diabetes. Annu Rev Public Health. 2015 Mar 18;36:441-62. doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031914-122921.

3- Detka J1, Kurek A, Basta-Kaim A, Kubera M, Lasoń W, Budziszewska B. Neuroendocrine link between stress, depression and diabetes. Pharmacol Rep. 2013;65(6):1591-600.

I hope this helps.

Warm regards

Dr Sikandar

No doubt that diabetes could be due to stress, as a sample a lot of cases after earthquake

In recent years some interesting articles have been published on the relationship between chronic stress and telomere length. Not all data are consistent, but it appears that chronic stress shortens the telomeres.

Some references:

Article A Scoping Systematic Review of Social Stressors and Various ...

Article The Association of Early and Recent Psychosocial Life Stress...

Article Perceived Stress and Telomere Length: A Systematic Review, M...

The question was about "continuous" stress (i.e., chronic stress). I gather that the most dramatic outcome of chronic stress is the harm caused by genitors's "societal stress" on human (generally mammalian) newly conceived beings. This is because the consequences of this genitors' stress on their offspring during its "primal period" are multiple and, more often than not, lifelong (see Wikipedia under PREVENTION, "PRIMAL PREVENTION". Also: www.primalprevention.org).

Stress has, despite its being a psychological phenomenon, many physical consequences. Examples include heart palpitations, aching muscles, tension headaches,…. This is caused by the hormone cortisol which is secreted during stress. Previous consequences are linked to the physical response to this hormone. In case of long-term stress, these symptoms will therefore appear. Furthermore, it will influence other functions. These include memory, focus, and sleep. Stress makes it so that we have memory issues, problems focusing, and that we have a hard time falling asleep/staying asleep. These, in turn, have negative effects on our body.