Study on serum cytokine levels in posttraumatic stress disorder patients

Objective:To evaluate serum IL-2,IL-4,IL-6.IL-8,TL-10 and TNF-αlevels in posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD) patients.Methods:We utilized ELISA technology to examine cytokines such as IL-2,IL-4.IL-6.IL-8,IL-10 and TNF-αin serum from 50 well-characterized individuals with a primary DSM-1V PTSD diagnosis,and 50 age- and gender-matched healthy controls.We conservatively employed a Mann-Whitney U testing.Results:Individuals with primary PTSD had significantly elevated peripheral cytokine levels for all 6 different cytokines compared to age- and gender-matched healthy controls(allP<0.01).Conclusions:These findings suggest that a generalized inflammatory state may be present in individuals with PTSD.