interleukin-8 and Parental-Death

Increasing evidence indicates that childhood trauma is a risk factor for schizophrenia and patients with this syndrome have a pro-inflammatory phenotype. We tested the hypothesis that the pro-inflammatory phenotype in schizophrenia is associated with childhood trauma and that patients without a history of such trauma have a similar immune profile to healthy controls.. We recruited 40 schizophrenia patients and 40 controls, all of whom completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques, we measured peripheral levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α. These immune parameters were compared in schizophrenia with childhood trauma, schizophrenia without childhood trauma and healthy controls.. Patients with childhood trauma had higher levels of IL-6 and TNF-α than patients without trauma and healthy controls, and TNF-α levels correlated with the extent of the trauma. Patients with no trauma had similar immune profiles to controls.. Childhood trauma drives changes, possibly epigenetic, that generate a pro-inflammatory phenotype.

Topics: Adult; Case-Control Studies; Child; Child Abuse; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Humans; Inflammation; Inflammation Mediators; Interleukin-1beta; Interleukin-6; Interleukin-8; Male; Middle Aged; Parental Death; Phenotype; Psychotic Disorders; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenic Psychology; Stress, Psychological; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha