Marta Balcerowska, Paulina Kwaśnik
Stress is a response to physiological or psychological threats or challenging situations that enable one to cope with difficult circumstances. Various types of stressors promote a coordinated response in the body to maintain homeostasis. Experimental evidence suggests that the duration of stress is a pivotal factor influencing dysregulation in the immune system caused by stress. While it was reported that acute stress prepares the organism to deal with challenges and can benefit the body, chronic stress is detrimental. It can lead to more frequent infections, prolonged inflammation, and even cancer progression. This review aims to identify the consequences of stress on the immune system, distinguishing between acute stress and chronic stress. We conducted a comprehensive literature review to investigate how different types of stressors and the duration of stress affect the immune system. Both acute and chronic stress have an impact on the immune system. In the short term, stress induces the redistribution of immune cells by mobilizing them to active defense, and promotes anti-infective and anti-tumor defense, whereas chronic stress deregulates the immune system by reducing the effectiveness of immune cells, affecting their ability to fight infections and increasing the rate of disease progression.