Citation

Wilson SN, Van der Kolk B, Burbridge J, Fisler R, Kradin R. Psychosomatics 1999; 40(3): 222-225.

Affiliation

Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

10341534

Abstract

Patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a past history of extremely stressful experience and often present with somatic complaints. Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of patients with PTSD associated with a history of childhood sexual abuse were examined for changes in immune phenotype. The ratio of CD45RO-positive to CD45RA-positive lymphocytes (CD45RO/CD45RA), an index of lymphocyte activation, was higher (P = 0.04) in the PTSD subjects than in the normal subjects. No differences were observed for the number of PBL or the representation of major T, B, or NK lymphocyte subsets. These findings suggest the presence of increased lymphocyte activation in the PBL of patients with PTSD.

Language: en