Groundbreaking research at Laniado Hospital reveals that the pressures of war don’t just affect the mind, they can leave measurable changes inside the body.

For more than three years, Laniado Hospital has remained on the frontline of Israel’s healthcare response, caring for thousands of patients despite the daily realities of war. Doctors, nurses and support staff have continued treating patients through missile attacks, emergency alerts and relentless pressure, always putting the needs of others first.

But what impact has that taken on the people providing that care?

That question became the focus of groundbreaking research led by Professor Arnon Blum, Head of Internal Medicine at Laniado Hospital, whose latest study has been published in the prestigious Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Conducted at Laniado Hospital during the first months of the war, the study followed 90 members of staff from across the hospital, including doctors, nurses and emergency department teams. Researchers measured levels of stress, anxiety and depression using internationally recognised psychological assessments, while also analysing blood samples for inflammatory proteins that increase when the body is under prolonged strain. 

The results were both fascinating and concerning.

Healthcare professionals reporting the highest levels of stress also showed significantly higher levels of inflammatory markers in their bloodstream. One marker in particular known as Interleukin-1 (IL-1) showed a particularly strong link with psychological stress. IL-1 is a protein produced by the body’s immune system during inflammation and has previously been associated with a range of long-term health conditions. 

In simple terms, the research showed that the intense emotional demands of working through wartime were not just affecting how healthcare professionals felt they were producing measurable physical changes inside their bodies.

This is what makes the study so significant.

While previous research has explored the emotional impact of conflict on healthcare workers, Laniado’s study is among the first to demonstrate a clear relationship between wartime psychological stress and measurable biological changes in frontline hospital staff. It suggests that blood tests may one day help identify healthcare professionals at greatest risk from prolonged stress, allowing support to be offered before more serious physical or mental health problems develop. 

What makes these findings even more remarkable is where they were made.

This was not research carried out in a controlled laboratory. It was conducted inside Laniado Hospital, while its staff were living through exactly the conditions being studied. The same doctors and nurses treating patients during missile attacks were also contributing to research that could improve the care of healthcare professionals worldwide.

It is another example of how Laniado continues to combine compassionate patient care with internationally recognised medical research. Even under extraordinary circumstances, the hospital is not only saving lives, it is helping the global medical community better understand the hidden cost of caring for others.

clinicians like Professor Blum and his team to continue producing pioneering research that reaches far beyond Israel, improving the understanding of how prolonged stress affects those who dedicate their lives to caring for others.

At Laniado Hospital, caring for patients will always come first. Thanks to this remarkable research, the world is now learning an equally important lesson: those who save lives also need protecting.