Oxidative status and the severity of clinical symptoms in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Background: The aim of this study was to measure the parameters of oxidative stress in the blood of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Methods: The study included 80 male war veterans who participated actively in the Homeland war in Croatia. Volunteers were divided into two groups: 50 veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and 30 without diagnosis. The self-assessment Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory were used to detect the severity of depression and anxiety in the post-traumatic stress disorder patients. Catalytic concentrations of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in erythrocytes and the concentration of malondialdehyde in serum were measured spectrophotometrically.

Results: Although the catalytic concentrations of erythrocyte superoxide dismutase and erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase were within the reference range for both groups, the values obtained for the post-traumatic stress disorder group were significantly lower (P<0.001). For serum malondialdehyde concentrations, no statistically significant differences between the groups were found.

Conclusions: Lower catalytic concentrations of erythrocyte superoxide dismutase and erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder may indicate a weaker response to oxidative stress due to impaired enzyme activity and/or decreased synthesis. Conversely, no significant changes in serum malondialdehyde concentrations suggest a compensated balance and adaptive response to (oxidative) stress.