Stress is the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change. It was defined and coined by Hans Selye in 1936. He did an experiment and found out that laboratory animals subjected to different noxious physical and emotional stimuli all had the same pathologic changes of stomach ulcerations, shrinkage of lymphoid tissue and enlargement of adrenals. He later demonstrated that persistent stress could cause these animals to develop various diseases similar to those seen In humans, such as heart attacks, stroke, kidney diseases and arthritis.
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