engleski

Immune, endocrine and psychological responses in civilians displaced by war

Objective: The objectives of this study were to assess the influence of trauma caused by forced expulsion from homes in war-ravaged region on the psychological, hormonal and immune responses in displaced persons, and to analyze the relationships between psychometric, hormonal and immunologic variables. Method: Participants were 20 displaced and 14 control women. Psychosomatic response was evaluated using the COR-NEX2 test. Serum concentrations of cortisol, prolactin, endorphin, thyroksine, and triiodothyronine were measured by radioimmunoassay. Immunophenotyping and lymphocyte proliferation were determined by flow cytometry, and phagocyte functions (ie, ingestion and antibody-dependent cytotoxicity) against 51Cr-labeled sheep red blood cells were assessed through radioactivity uptake and release, respectively. Results: In comparison with control women, displaced women had higher COR-NEX2 test scores; higher serum cortisol, prolactin and endorphin levels; an increase in activated phenotype within all three measured cell populations (ie, B, T, and natural killer cells); as well as an enhanced proportion of proliferating lymphocytes in freshly isolated samples. However, the phytohemagglutinin-stimulated proliferative response, estimated as stimulation index, was lower in displaced women. A complex pattern of relations between psychological, hormonal and immune responses was observed. Conclusions: Chronic psychological stress elicited multiple, predominantly stimulatory influence on immune functions.

chronic stress; psychoneuroimmunology; immunophenotyping; immune functions

nije evidentirano