Mrs. Jones has been caring for her terminally ill mother for a year now. She has continued to work at a demanding job, and she has three active teenagers. These long-term stressors should _____ the number of NK cells, thereby _____ immune system functioning.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Long-term stressors like caring for a terminally ill family member and managing a demanding job and family can decrease the number of natural killer (NK) cells, impairing immune system functioning. This is because chronic stress can lead to the dysregulation of the immune system, including a decrease in NK cell activity.

Mrs Jones Has Been Caring for Her Terminally Ill Mother