Een Belgisch onderzoek naar NK-cellen bij verpleegsters die onder chronische stress staan:
http://www.belspo.be/belspo/organisatio ... 4Br_en.pdf
The second aim of the present study was to assess the possible mediating effect of psychopathology upon the relationship between stress and immunity.
Interestingly, immune activation (activated CD4+cells, neopterin) and the increase of the CD3+CD 16CD56+ subset was stronger in/restricted to the group with a high level of stress and a low level of psychopathology
while the decrease in the suppressor subset (CD8+CD1lb+) was restricted to the group with a high level of both stress and psychopathology. This last finding possibly points in the direction of an auto-immune process.
...
Several of the immune abnormalities reported in the high stress conditions, such as a high number and percentage of CD3+CD16CD56+ cytotoxic cells, a low percentage of CD8+CDl l b+ suppressor cells and a high number of activated T cells were also reported in some but not all studies in the chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) (review Strober, 1994).
However, in CFS, CD8+ instead of CD4+ cells were reported to be activated. It can be concluded that the type of immune dysfunction reported in the present study appears to be similar but not identical to anomalies reported in pathological conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome or major depression.