Rashmi Kudesia they're having irregular menstrual cycles, changes in cervical discharge and breast tenderness, despite normal hormone levels. In Houston, at least a dozen patients have told fertility specialist Dr. Mostly women, ages 20 to 80, are reporting hair coming out in fistfuls, Khetarpal says. Since mid-June, that number has jumped to 20 or 25. Shilpi Khetarpal, a dermatologist at the Cleveland Clinic, used to see about five patients a week with stress-related hair loss. Perhaps the strongest indicator comes from doctors reporting a growing number of patients with physical symptoms for which they can't determine a cause. The portion of claims for the autoimmune disease lupus, for example, showed one of the biggest increases - 12% this year - compared with the same period last year (January to August).Įxpress Scripts, a major pharmacy benefit manager, reported that prescriptions for anti-insomnia medications increased 15% early in the pandemic. ![]() The disparate symptoms, often in otherwise healthy individuals, have puzzled doctors and patients alike, sometimes resulting in a series of visits to specialists with few answers.īut it turns out there's a common thread among many of these conditions, one that has been months in the making: chronic stress.Īlthough people often underestimate the influence of the mind on the body, a growing catalog of research shows that high levels of stress over an extended period of time can drastically alter physical function and affect nearly every organ system.ĭata from FAIR Health, a nonprofit database that provides cost information to the health industry and consumers, showed increases in the percentage of medical claims related to conditions triggered or exacerbated by stress, such as multiple sclerosis or shingles. ![]() Throughout the pandemic, people who never had the coronavirus have been reporting a host of seemingly unrelated symptoms: excruciating headaches, episodes of hair loss, upset stomach for weeks on end, sudden outbreaks of shingles and flare-ups of autoimmune disorders. Then he asked: Are you under a lot of stress? After a month and a half, Laderer decided to visit a neurologist, who ordered an MRI.
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