Epilepsy and stress

I have been doing a project on the physiology of epilepsy in canines since I have a dog with epilepsy. I stumbled across an interesting article during my research that tested the relationship between stress and seizures in both dogs and their humans; they hypothesized that there would be a significant relationship between the two.

They tested the cortisol levels of both the dogs and their humans at 40 minutes and 20 minutes after a seizure, respectively, and then the following day to compare the levels. Now as many of you may know cortisol is the main hormone for stress and this is released by the hypothalamus perceiving a threat or stressor, and then telling the adrenal glands to release cortisol and adrenaline.

They found out that their hypothesis was supported; there was an increase in cortisol levels in both canines and their humans after the dog had a seizure. This just shows the amount of stress that both the dogs have when having a seizure and the stress it can put on their carers. As someone who has a dog with a seizure disorder, I can personally attest to the amount of stress it puts on both species.

They also mention that the study was gender biased with only one male and fifteen female carers, and they bring up evidence that women tend to produce more cortisol in stressful situations, so this could mainly be for women.

Packer, R., Volk, H., & Fowkes, R. (2017). Physiological reactivity to spontaneously occurring seizure activity in dogs with epilepsy and their carers. Physiology & Behavior, 177, 27-33. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.04.008

Chronic stress puts your health at risk. (2016, April 21). Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037