Association of pro-inflammatory cytokines with trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder visiting a tertiary care hospital in Kathmandu

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that can occur after trauma. Although inflammatory markers such as cytokines are found altered in trauma and PTSD, there is no consensus regarding which can be considered as biomarkers. Studies from South Asia region is also rare. We studied cytokines among trauma affected patients and matched healthy controls. Fifty patients (cases) with trauma, visiting the University hospital in Kathmandu and thirty-nine healthy controls were selected, and the levels of cytokines were determined using a Luminex IS 200. We compared the levels of the cytokines in thirty-four age and gender matched pairs of case and control among three groups: healthy volunteers, cases diagnosed as PTSD, and cases without PTSD. Among the 34 pair-matched cases and controls, IL-6 was significantly higher in both PTSD positive cases [2.43 (0.00–14.54) pg/ml; p = 0.004] and PTSD negative cases [3.00 (0.92–3.86) pg/ml; p = 0.005], than in controls [0.39 (0.00–11.38) pg/ml]. IL-1β was significantly higher in PTSD positive cases [0.17 (0.00–5.27) pg/ml; p = 0.011] than in controls 0.00 (0.00–0.12) pg/ml. Other cytokines did not show significant differences. IL-6 was higher in both the trauma affected groups and IL-1β was higher in the trauma affected group with PTSD when compared to healthy controls. This supports the immune system activation hypothesis after trauma.

Fractional exhaled nitric oxide distribution and its relevant factors in the general adult population and its healthy subpopulation

“… 27 This association between obesity and elevated F eno was no longer significant in healthy subpopulation 2, but the results suggest an associated trend ( Table IV ). Similar to our study, previous reports in nonasthmatic children 30 and adults 31 have reported a positive association between obesity and F eno . This may suggest that in healthy subjects without type 2 inflammation, unlike in people with asthma, obesity might increase F eno without mediating the mechanism of type 2 inflammation.…”

Emphasizing the Crosstalk Between Inflammatory and Neural Signaling in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

“…(Pillai et al 2016 ). Notably, a cross-sectional comparative study in Nepal identified strong association between pro-inflammatory cytokines and trauma, confirming the hypothesis of immune system activation in trauma (Koirala et al 2023 ). Similarly, Case-control studies in PTSD patients showed high levels of chemokines and proinflammatory cytokines, indicating that these increased inflammatory markers could act as biomarkers of PTSD risk, resilience, and stress responses (Zhang et al 2020 ; Otsuka et al 2021 ).…”

Longitudinal cytokine and multi-modal health data of an extremely severe ME/CFS patient with HSD reveals insights into immunopathology, and disease severity

“…While specific cytokine changes, including the reduction in SFAS/FASLG, VEGF, CTACK/CCL27, IL9, IL6, MCP4, IL10, IL4, and increases in ENA78, GROA, IL2, TRACE, CCL21, FGF2, IL33, and TPO, did not achieve statistical significance individually, their collective alterations, as indicated by Z scores, may reveal a significant impact on the cytokine landscape in ME/CFS. Notably, IL4, IL6, IL9, IL10 ( 131 ), and IL33 play crucial roles in Th-2 immunity, the mast cell and eosinophil signaling network ( 132 – 138 ) ( Figure 7 ).…”