Caregivers’ Health Suffers Too

The article “Cancer’s Toll on Marriage” (July 16) by Judy Foreman clearly outlined what stress in a medical crisis does to a marriage.

Caregivers may survive emotional strain but their physical health suffers. They have been found to have lower activity levels of immune cells that kill infectious intruders and destroy tumor cells before they become full-blown cancer as reported in Annals of Behavioral Medicine. Studies have found that people caring for ailing relatives also tend to gain more weight and have higher cholesterol and blood pressure than non-caregivers. This weakened immunity is only the tip of the iceberg.

BOB KERBER

Oceanside