Stress is currently recognized as a major risk factor for several chronic diseases and may account for more than 75% of all visits to primary care physicians. Thus, the investigation of the immunological mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of stress-related chronic conditions is of great relevance to the effort of preventing and reducing disease burden, as well as treating and monitoring disease evolution.

Currently, the challenges facing the field are how to prevent the development of stress-related diseases and what we have to help scientists and physicians to diagnose early, estimate the risk and prognosis as well as the best treatment considering the response/resistance of that organism. Much is known about the physio and immunopathology of stress-related diseases, but we still have some unanswered questions about stress-related diseases such as anxiety, depression (and other neuropsychiatric disorders), neurodegenerative disorders, hypertension (and other cardiovascular diseases), diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cancer, peptic ulcer, and alcohol abuse-induced cirrhosis.

The aim of this Special Issue is to cover the role of the immune system and pathophysiological biomarkers on aspects such as risk estimation, susceptibility factors, diagnosis, disease staging, prognosis, prediction of treatment response/resistance, and mechanisms of disease. We invite researchers to submit high quality manuscripts reporting original research results and review articles related to the scientific advances in the area of stress-related chronic diseases. Both clinical and basic science studies will be considered. This issue will provide our readers with a better understanding of the importance of outlining mechanisms and possible new biomarkers in stress-related chronic diseases and will unveil the recent advancements in this area.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Anxiety, depression, and other neuropsychiatric disorders
• Neurodegenerative disorders
• Hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases
• Diabetes and metabolic syndrome
• Cancer
• Peptic ulcer and alcohol abuse-induced cirrhosis