Childhood stress leads to adult ill health

[Guest guest]

The tie in with inflammation one has to wonder, if they will claim that CI

possibly has it's root in it. That a chemical exposure was the 'trigger',

granting the psychological diatribe?

Childhood stress leads to adult ill health, studies say

Stress in childhood has long-term effects say psychologists

Adversity and stress early in life leads to long-term ill health and early

death, a group of psychologists warn.

A series of studies suggest that childhood stress caused by poverty or abuse can

lead to heart disease, inflammation, and speed up cell ageing.

The American Psychological Association meeting heard that early experiences

" cast a long shadow " on health.

One UK expert said more and more evidence was suggesting a physical impact of

stress in childhood.

In one study, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh looked at the

relationship between living in poverty and early signs of heart disease in 200

healthy teenagers.

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“Start Quote

Interactions with others then become a source of stress, which can increase

arousal, blood pressure, inflammation levels and deplete the body's reservesâ€

End Quote Professor s Study leader

They found that those from the worst-off families had stiffer arteries and

higher blood pressure.

A second piece of research by the same team showed children from poorer homes

were more likely to interpret a series of mock social situations as threatening.

They also had higher blood pressure and heart rates and higher hostility and

anger scores during three laboratory stress tasks.

It backs other research showing a link between a stressful childhood and future

cardiovascular disease, said study leader Professor s.

She said unpredictable and stressful environments lead children to be " hyper

vigilant " to perceived threats.

" Interactions with others then become a source of stress, which can increase

arousal, blood pressure, inflammation levels and deplete the body's reserves.

" This sets up risk for cardiovascular disease. "

Abuse

Another study presented at the conference showed that childhood events such as

the death of a parent or abuse can make people more vulnerable to the effects of

stress in later life and even shorten lifespan.

Researchers at Ohio State University looked at a group of older adults - some of

whom were carers for people with dementia.

They measured several markers of inflammation in the blood which can be signs of

stress, as well as the length of telomeres - protective caps on the ends of

chromosomes which have been linked to age-related diseases.

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The 132 participants also answered a questionnaire on depression and past child

abuse and neglect.

A third study reported some sort of physical, emotional or sexual abuse during

childhood.

Those who did face adversity as children had shorter telomeres and increased

levels of inflammation even after controlling for age, care-giving status,

gender, body mass index, exercise and sleep.

Study leader Professor Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, said: " Our latest research shows

that childhood adversity casts a long shadow on one's health and can lead to

inflammation and cell ageing much earlier than for those who haven't experienced

these events.

" Those reporting multiple adversities could shorten their lifespan by seven to

15 years, " she added.

Dr Danese, a clinical lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry in London,

said such studies had to be interpreted carefully because there is a chance that

people do not recall their childhoods accurately and you can only show an

association not prove causality.

" But that doesn't mean I don't believe these results.

" The evidence is quite consistent.

" It's already been established that childhood stress has an effect on mental

health and it now seems like it has an enduring effect on physical health. "

He said that stress causes an increase in inflammatory proteins which could

underpin the physical consequences suggested by the research.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10965862