[Stress and psychosomatic disease].

Psychosomatic disease has become almost synonymous with stress-related diseases. It is defined as a somatic disorder with influences from various types of stress. The physical reactions to stress are generally divided into three principal areas:those affecting the autonomic nervous system, the endocrine system or the immune system. However, recent studies show that these three areas actually affect one another and this, in turn, affects the body's homeostasis. In the stress-filled environment we live in, on-going research on psychosomatic disease and stress will continue to play a vital role in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.