Correlation between serum levels of interleukin-4 and alexithymia scores in healthy female subjects: preliminary findings.
OBJECTIVE
Some studies suggest that inaccuracy in recognizing and describing emotional states, combined with a highly descriptive mode of expression, as in alexithymia, may influence the immune response. We therefore investigated in healthy women the relationship between alexithymia and circulating levels of IL-1, IL-2 and IL-4.


METHODS
Seventeen mentally and physically healthy women aged between 20 and 25 years completed psychological questionnaires to assess alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale: TAS) and depressed mood (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale: HAD). Serum concentrations of IL-1, IL-2 and IL-4 were measured by ELISA.


RESULTS
We found a significant positive correlation between serum levels of IL-4 and TAS score (r = 0.55; p = 0.021) and between factor 1 of the TAS (difficulty in identifying feelings) and IL-4 (r = 0.57; p = 0.017) while serum IL-1 and IL-2 were not detected in ten and six patients, respectively. Although there was a significant correlation between age and IL-4 levels, a linear regression with BMI, age, depressed mood and TAS as independent variables showed that only alexithymia could predict significantly increased levels of IL-4.


CONCLUSIONS
Alexithymia and difficulty in identifying feelings could be associated with increased levels of IL-4 which may result in chronic impairment of pro/anti-inflammatory cytokine balance with psychological and somatic consequences. Nevertheless, these intriguing findings would deserve replication and extension in a larger sample of subjects.
Corcos
Maurice
M
Department of Psychiatry of Adolescents and Young Adults, Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, 42 Boulevard Jourdan, 75014 Paris, France. maurice.corcos@imm.fr
Guilbaud
Olivier
O
Paterniti
Sabrina
S
Curt
Florence
F
Hjalmarsson
Linnea
L
Moussa
Marlène
M
Chambry
Jean
J
Loas
Gwenolé
G
Chaouat
Gérard
G
Jeammet
Philippe
P
D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D000375:Aging; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000097:blood; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000097:blood*; D016014:Linear Models; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D007375:Interleukin-1; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015847:Interleukin-4