Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-8-2026
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Systemic inflammation is hypothesized to contribute to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) vulnerability. Few studies have examined inflammation shortly after trauma as a predictor of later PTSD symptoms. We examined whether inflammation from the emergency department (ED) post-trauma is associated with PTSD symptom severity over the following 6 months.
METHODS: Our sample included 742 AURORA participants, a longitudinal cohort of patients in 29 EDs across the United States after a traumatic stressor, followed up to 6 months. Plasma cytokines were assessed from a study blood draw in the ED: an inflammatory index (standardized sum of generally pro-inflammatory markers interleukin [IL]-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α], interferon gamma [IFN-γ]), and generally anti-inflammatory IL-10. PTSD symptoms were self-reported at 2 weeks, 8 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months post-ED. Covariate-adjusted repeated-measures regressions estimated associations between inflammation and PTSD symptoms, overall and sex-stratified.
RESULTS: Among 742 participants (age m = 40.0 [13.7]; 479 [64.6%] female), PTSD symptoms were elevated then modestly decreased over follow-up. Higher ED inflammation was associated with higher PTSD symptoms across follow-up (standardized symptoms β = 0.05, 95% CI: 0.01-0.09), adjusted for potential confounders. Higher pro-inflammatory index levels and IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α were associated with higher PTSD symptoms in males only, while higher IL-10 was associated with higher PTSD symptoms in females only.
CONCLUSIONS: Pro-inflammatory levels shortly after traumatic stress are associated with heightened PTSD symptoms, particularly among males. Inflammatory markers may prove useful additions to prediction models for PTSD following trauma, with attention to sex differences.
Recommended Citation
Nishimi, Kristen; Linnstaedt, Sarah; Neylan, Thomas; McKibben, Lauren; Albertorio-Sáez, Liz Marie; Zhao, Ying; House, Stacey; Beaudoin, Francesca; An, Xinming; Stevens, Jennifer; Clifford, Gari; Jovanovic, Tanja; Germine, Laura; Rauch, Scott; Haran, John; Storrow, Alan; Musey, Paul; Hendry, Phyllis; Sheikh, Sophia; Punches, Brittany; Swor, Robert; Pascual, Jose; Seamon, Mark; Datner, Elizabeth M; Pearson, Claire; Peak, David; Merchant, Roland; Domeier, Robert; Rathlev, Niels; O'Neil, Brian; Sergot, Paulina; Sanchez, Leon; Bruce, Steven; Harte, Steven; Kessler, Ronald; Koenen, Karestan; Ressler, Kerry; McLean, Samuel; and O'Donovan, Aoife, "Inflammatory Markers in the Emergency Department and PTSD symptoms in the AURORA Study: A Longitudinal Cohort Study" (2026). Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers. Paper 291.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/emfp/291
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
PubMed ID
42100824
Language
English
Comments
This article is the author’s final published version in Psychological Medicine, Volume 56, 2026, Article number e123.
The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291726103833. Copyright © The Author(s), 2026.