Stress contributes to onset of HIV/AIDS

Stress is a contributing factor to the progression of HIV/AIDS, a new medical review has claimed.

The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, point to a continuing link in research carried out since 2000 between stress and the progression of AIDS.

And the article's author, Dr Sheldon Cohen, goes on to claim that the impact of stress on AIDS sufferers may have worsened in recent years due to the complex drug combinations now taken in the fight to offset the effects of the disease.

Dr Cohen said: "Some remain asymptomatic for extended periods and respond well to medical treatment, whereas others progress rapidly to AIDS onset, and suffer numerous complications and opportunistic infections. Stress may account for some of this variability in HIV progression."

At the same time Dr Cohen suggests a link between the effect of stress on changes in the nervous system and the onset of HIV/AIDS, stating it may influence the replication of the AIDS virus.

As well as linking stress to the progression of HIV/AIDS, the report also cites stress as a contributory factor in a variety of other diseases, including cardiovascular disease and depression.

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