The immune system during exposure to extreme physiologic conditions

Abstract

It is not clear how the immune system is modulated in response to physical stress (e.g. trauma, surgery, burn and sepsis). In order to better understand the stress-induced immune changes, effects of isolated stressors are evaluated. Human experiments include hypoxia, head-up tilt, hyperthermina and exercise, which influence all lymphocyte subtypes and especially so the natural killer (NK) cells. In essence, the immune response is enhanced even by light physical stress, but suppressed after prolonged, intense stress.