ABSTRACT
There is ample evidence that various stressors can alter immune function. There are relatively few studies exploring the effects of stress on immune function among older adults. It is particularly important to explore the effect of chronic stress on older adults in view of the glucocorticoid cascade hypothesis, which suggests that chronic stress may have persistent negative effects on immune function in older adults and may actually accelerate immunosenescence. The ferences between groups in immune function and infectious illness could not be explained by recent health behaviors. If chronic stress accelerates age-related declines in immune function, as the glucocorticoid cascade hypothesis suggests, chronic stress could have serious health consequences for older adults, including increased risk and severity of infectious illness. Although these studies demonstrate that immune function in older adults may be enhanced through psychosocial interventions, it remains to be seen whether interventions can counteract the toll that years of chronic stress takes on older caregivers' immune systems.
