Table 1.
Clinical and demographic variables of the study participants.
| Clinical/demographic variable | PTSD subjects (n = 18) | TE controls (n = 12) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age in years, mean (SD) | 42.0 (12.6) | 38.7 (11.7) | .52 |
| Female, n (%) | 14 (77.8) | 7 (58.3) | .26 |
| CAPS-5 total score, median (IQR) | 33.5 (30.0 – 36.7) | 3.5 (0 – 9.5) | <.001 |
| Time since index trauma (months), median (IQR) | 126 (39 – 231) | 48 (24 – 126) | .18 |
| Number of different types of traumatic experiences on LEC-5, mean (SD) | 6.3 (1.9) | 5.9 (3.9) | .75 |
| CTQ total score, median (IQR) | 54 (36.5; 81.5) | 38 (32.0; 44.0) | .068 |
| MINI current MDD, n (%) | 2 (11.1) | 0 (0) | .50 |
| MINI lifetime MDD, n (%) | 12 (66.7) | 6 (50.0) | .46 |
| MINI current comorbid anxiety disorder(s), n (%) | 6 (33.3) | 1 (8.3) | .19 |
| Current psychiatric medication, n (%) | 6 (33.3) | 0 (0) | .057 |
| Psychiatric medication current/lifetime, n (%) | 7 (38.9) | 3 (25.0) | .43 |
| Cigarette smoking (previous 6 months), n (%) | 9 (50.0) | 5 (41.7) | .87 |
| Alcohol use (previous 6 months), n (%) | 9 (50.0) | 7 (58.3) | .78 |
| Lifetime history of illicit substance use, n (%) | 3 (25.0) | 5 (41.7) | .21 |
| 1 CRP, median (IQR) | 1.4 (0.6 – 2.8) | 2.0 (1.0 – 6.2) | .11 |
| BMI, mean (SD) | 28.5 (7.0) | 28.6 (9.8) | .96 |
| Waist circumference (cm), mean (SD) | 90.7 (14.4) | 87.4 (16.3) | .57 |
| Mean systolic blood pressure (mmHg), mean (SD) | 120.3 (12.6) | 131.5 (14.0) | .035* |
| Mean diastolic blood pressure (mmHg), mean (SD) | 75.2 (7.47) | 83.7 (9.4) | .016* |
| Triglycerides (mmol/l), mean (SD) | 0.9 (0.3) | 1.0 (0.3) | .30 |
| HDL cholesterol (mmol/l), mean (SD) | 1.5 (0.4) | 1.6 (0.5) | .45 |
| Fasting glucose (mmol/l), median (IQR) | 5.0 (4.7; 5.3) | 5.0 (4.8; 5.2) | > .99 |
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; CAPS-5, Clinician Administered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Scale for DSM-5; CRP, C-reactive protein; CTQ, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire; DSM-5 = Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition; HDL, high density lipoprotein; IQR, interquartile range; LEC-5, Life Events Checklist for DSM-5; MDD, major depressive disorder; MINI, MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview, version 6.0; SD, standard deviation.
CRP > 3.0 mg/L based on CRP assay; CRP < 3.0 mg/L based on hsCRP assay. Continuous data were summarised as means and standard deviations, if approximately normally distributed, and as medians and interquartile ranges (IQRs) if non-normally distributed. Differences between normally and non-normally distributed data were assessed using Student’s t-tests and Mann-Whitney U-tests, respectively. Categorical data were summarized as counts and percentages, and differences between groups were assessed using Chi-square or Fisher’s Exact tests, where appropriate.
P < 0.05, Student’s t-test.