title: Dexamethasone suppression test in borderline personality disorder--effects of posttraumatic stress disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Divergent findings of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning in borderline personality disorder (BPD) may be caused by a different degree of comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in which alterations of the HPA axis are well known. Here we investigate alterations of the HPA axis in BPD patients with and without comorbid PTSD compared to healthy controls. Considering previous findings current major depression (MDD) was taken into account as a confounding variable.
  
  
  METHODS
  Apart from clinical assessment the 0.5 mg dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was performed in 21 female borderline patients and 23 healthy controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twelve BPD patients suffered from comorbid PTSD. Relative suppression (%) did not differ between healthy controls and the total BPD group, but BPD patients with comorbid PTSD showed increased suppression compared to those without. Comorbid MDD was not associated with suppression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results do not indicate a dysfunction of the HPA axis in BPD. However, comorbid PTSD seems to be associated with a relative hypersuppression in the 0.5 mg DST.
authors.affiliation: Center of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Gilead Hospital Bethel, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.forename: Hella
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wulff
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Berea
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Beblo
authors.forename: Anamaria Silva
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Saavedra
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mensebach
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wingenfeld
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Driessen
mesh_terms: D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D003907:Dexamethasone; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D012016:Reference Values; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D003907:Dexamethasone; D006854:Hydrocortisone