ABSTRACT
The term stress still has a sort of shadowy anonymity. According to Hans Selye (1976), “stress is the nonspecic response of the body to any demand.” A stressor is an agent that produces stress at any time. The general adaptation syndrome represents the chronological development of the response to stressors when their action is prolonged. It consists of three phases: the alarm reaction, the stage of resistance, and the stage of exhaustion. The manifestations of the alarm reaction included the secretion of adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH), corticoids and catecholamines, thymicolymphatic involution, eosinopenia, and peptic ulceration (Selye 1976). The denition of the diseases of adaptation or stress-induced maladies is still a cause for debate. The diseases of adaptation depend primarily on an excessive or inappropriate response to indirect pathogens. Included are all “psychosomatic” diseases, allergies, and other immunologic responses, as well as excessive inammatory reactions. However, at least two topics still need further denition-rst, connections between the type of stress and the type of disease and, second, qualitative and quantitative denition of stress.
