Changes in lymphocyte subsets after short-term pharmacotherapy in patients with panic disorder.
Panic disorder is associated with a high frequency of comorbid immunological diseases, such as allergies and asthma, although the psychoneuroimmunology of panic disorder is relatively unexplored. The objective of this study was to determine whether panic patients have different immunological findings compared with normal healthy subjects and whether changes in immune function are associated with short-term pharmacotherapy. We also examined whether immunological variables were associated with clinical severity and serum catecholamine levels. Patients with panic disorder (n=26) and healthy control subjects (n=26) were recruited for this study. All patients were treated with paroxetine for 3 months. We measured the lymphocyte subsets, psychopathological characteristics and serum catecholamine (norepinephrine and epinephrine) levels. Panic patients did not differ initially from control subjects in peripheral lymphocyte phenotypic markers. After drug therapy, however, percentages of circulating CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes were significantly increased, while the percentage of CD19+ B lymphocytes was significantly decreased in the patients. The difference in the percentage of CD8+ T lymphocytes before and after treatment was negatively correlated with pretreatment Global Clinical Impression scores. The lymphocyte subsets were not significantly associated with serum catecholamine levels in panic patients. In conclusion, panic patients showed increased CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte proportions and a decreased B lymphocyte proportion after 3 months of drug therapy. This finding suggests that pharmacological treatment may affect immune function in panic patients.
Department of Psychiatry, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Ilwon-Dong, Kangnam-Ku, 135-710, Seoul, South Korea.
Youl-Ri
YR
Kim
Quehn
Q
Park
Bum-Hee
BH
Yu
D000328:Adult; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D017374:Paroxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012016:Reference Values; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology
D004837:Epinephrine; D009638:Norepinephrine; D017374:Paroxetine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors