• Integr Physiol Behav Sci · Jan 2005

    Autonomic activity, pain, and perceived health in patients on sick leave due to stress-related illnesses.

    • Marina Heiden, Margareta Barnekow-Bergkvist, Minori Nakata, and Eugene Lyskov.
    • Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, University of Gävle, Umeå, Sweden. marina.heiden@hig.se
    • Integr Physiol Behav Sci. 2005 Jan 1;40(1):3-16.

    ObjectiveThe aim of the present study was to compare autonomic activity, pressure-pain thresholds, and subjective assessments of health and behavior between patients with stress-related illnesses and healthy control subjects.MethodsTwenty sick-listed patients with stress-related illnesses and 20 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects performed tests of autonomic regulation and algometric tests, and completed questionnaires about physical and mental health and behavioral patterns.ResultsPatients exhibited higher autonomic reactivity to cognitive and physical laboratory tasks (p < 0.05), and had lower pressure-pain thresholds in the shoulders and lower back than healthy control subjects (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the patients rated considerably poorer health and health behavior than the control subjects (p < 0.05).ConclusionsThe results indicate an engagement of the autonomic nervous system in stress-related illnesses. Furthermore, they show that patients with stress-related illnesses experience symptoms of musculoskeletal pain, and it is therefore recommended that assessments of musculoskeletal pain be incorporated in the clinical examinations and the rehabilitation of patients with stress-related illnesses.

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