|
|
|
|
||
|
||
|
|
||
| SEARCH | SUBSCRIBE | ||
|
 |
Elderly
Caregivers Face Stress Toll
By
CHRISTOPHER WINDHAM Wall
Street Journal, July 1, 2003
Chronic stress takes a toll on the immune system of elderly caregivers, placing them at risk of disease, a new study concludes.
Researchers say the long-term stress associated with looking after elderly spouses and relatives, especially those suffering from dementia, harmfully raises the levels of a protein in the body called interleukin-6, or IL-6, which stimulates the immune system to fight disease. High levels of IL-6 can possibly raise the risk of heart disease, certain cancers, arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis and other age-related illnesses.
"Caregiving is a risky business," says Ronald Glaser, a professor at Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Glaser conducted the study with his wife, psychologist Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, also at Ohio State University College of Medicine. "Stress of caregivers is psychologically and physically aging them more than their noncaregiving counterparts."
The study, which is slated to be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science this week, is among the first to explore the long-term effects of stress on the immune system.
The study is the latest in a series examining the serious health risks assumed by caregivers. A 1999 study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, said that elderly caregivers for severely ill spouses had a higher risk of dying in a four-year period than noncaregivers. Another study showed that adult children experienced more depression as they increased their level of help for ill parents.
In the current study, researchers collected blood samples from 119 elderly spousal caregivers for six years to monitor the changes in their IL-6 levels. The participants all were either caring for or had previously cared for spouses with dementia. They were compared with 106 other elderly people in a control group.
After a spouse died, the study found, IL-6 levels continued to rise in the former caregivers for up to three years. African-American caregivers had higher IL-6 rates than other races.
About 22.4 million households have a least someone caring for an elderly relative or friend, and almost 2.5 million of those caregivers are themselves elderly , according to the National Alliance for Caregiving. "This is the person you've been in love with and married to for 30 years," said Gail Hunt, executive director for the National Alliance for Caregiving. In dementia "they don't even recognize you in some cases," which can contribute to depression, she said.
To some experts, more research is needed to prove that higher IL-6 levels result in serious illnesses.
"There's nothing wrong with the researchers' claims," says John T. Cacioppo, a professor with the Department of Psychology and the Institute for Mind and Biology at the University of Chicago. "But they have not shown that it [high IL-6 levels] causes these diseases. They're showing a reason to study this further." Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging
|
