ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes human stress and wound healing research. Interest in the relationship between psychological stress and wound healing has developed, in part, out of a desire to move away from evidence that associates stress with immune incompetence alone, to an examination of whether the effects of stress are clinically meaningful. The chapter discusses the empirical evidence for the relationship between stress and wound healing, the paradigms used, what is known about the mediating mechanisms, and potential next steps for future research. Wounds can be caused by surgery, trauma or disease-related changes in the body. Wounds are classified as "acute" if they progress through the stages of healing in the appropriate time, or "chronic" if they do not follow the usual healing stages and healing is impeded. Healing of skin is assessed by monitoring the transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Although this damage would not create an actual wound, it does stimulate cytokine action indicative of healing.
