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Abstract
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PTSD and childhood trauma is associated with an increased risk of multiple mental and somatic health problems. Inflammation is one possible process underlying the complex interaction between PTSD, adverse childhood experiences and health problems. Several studies have linked changes in leukocyte counts to inflammatory diseases and PTSD. The blood system contains all the cells of the immune system. It is therefore reasonable to assume that the stress of experiencing a traumatic event is associated with changes in the number of white blood cells and other blood cells in the complete blood count. The aim of the study was to examine whether immunological biomarkers differ between adolescents with PTSD and healthy controls, influenced by trauma severity and exposure. Data from adolescents with PTSD and healthy controls were analyzed using non-parametric bootstrapping and Spearman correlation tests. While no differences in immunological biomarkers were observed between the groups, the findings revealed significant correlations between trauma exposure, the number of traumatic events, and measures such as neutrophil count, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and red blood cell distribution. The findings indicate that certain blood cell parameters may reflect immune system alterations in traumatized adolescents and hold potential prognostic value in clinical practice. However, conclusions from these results should be drawn with caution, as they are based on a very small sample.
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