Study links PTSD and compromised immune systems

A new study, which does not appear to be online anywhere that I can find, find a preliminary link between PTSD and compromised immune systems, possibly caused by inflammation. According to a report from The Times and Democrat:

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine and Arnold School of Public Health, and the Dorn VA Medical Center, shows that PTSD patients have increased levels of inflammation, caused by an increase in certain types of cells that regulate the immune functions.


The results are significant because they could lead to novel methods for diagnosis and treatment of PTSD, said Dr. Prakash Nagarkatti, associate dean and Carolina Distinguished Professor at the USC medical school, who is the lead researcher in this study.


The findings also are the basis for a new $1.72 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to Nagarkatti and his team of researchers, who will intensify their research on the pathological basis of immune dysfunction in war veterans with PTSD.

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Report: Study finds link between PTSD, compromised immune systems in veterans