1. A 21 year-old college student notices that she frequently develops “cold sores” during stressful final exam week. 1. What is the association between stress and the immune system?
The human body has a built in stress response system that usually self regulates. When a threat is perceived the body deploys white blood cells to the area of the body that is under attack (Segerstrom & Miller, 2006). Because of this, less important cellular activities are reduced and the immune system is left vulnerable. When the body perceives a threat there are three phases it goes through. (Story, 2012). The first is the alarm stage, in which the sympathetic nervous system is stimulated and in response deploys the release of …show more content…

When the body is under attack, the B-cells can produce millions of antibody molecules during a 24 hour period (Story, 2012). The more aggressive the antigen, the more work the B-cells have to accomplish. Due to the body producing more B-cells, the increased chance that a damaged cell is produced. Since there are more B-cells in the system could be the reason that B-cell lymphomas are more commonly seen.

References: B and T Cell Lymphomas (n.d.). In Leukemia Foundation. Retrieved August 31, 2012, from http://www.leukaemia.org.au/web/aboutdiseases/lymphomas.
Story, Lachel. (2012). Pathophysiology: A Practical Approach. Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett Learning, LLC.

4. A 29 year-old woman complains of generalized fatigue. Her physical exam reveals a heart rate of 115 beats/minute, respiratory rate of 28 breaths/minute, and blood pressure 115/74. Her skin and nail beds are pale and her lab results show a low red blood cell (RBC) count. hematocrit 30%, hemoglobin 9 g/dL, and a decrease in serum ferritin levels. 4. What disorder do you think this woman has? 5. What clinical manifestations indicate her body is trying to compensate for the disorder?
Based on the patient’s signs, symptoms and labwork, I believe she has iron deficiency anemia.
Anemia is a condition in which the red blood count is below normal levels (Nabili, 2012), Presenting