title: Elevated salivary alpha amylase in adolescent sexual abuse survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Little is known regarding neuroendocrine responses in adolescent girls with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who have experienced sexual abuse. Therefore, we collected saliva samples three times daily for 3 days to assess concentrations of salivary alpha amylase (sAA) - a surrogate marker for autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity and, in particular, sympathetic activity - in sexually abused adolescent girls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four girls (mean age: 15±1.4 years) who had experienced recent sexual abuse (i.e., sexual abuse occurred 1-6 months prior to study enrollment) and 12 healthy comparison subjects (mean age: 14.8±1.3 years) completed a structured interview and assessments to ascertain symptoms of posttraumatic stress, then collected saliva at home upon awakening, 30 minutes after waking, and at 5 p.m. on three consecutive school days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For sexually abused girls, total PTSD symptoms were associated with higher overall morning levels of sAA (r[20]=0.51, p=0.02), a finding driven by intrusive symptoms (r[20]=0.43, p<0.05) and hyperarousal symptoms (r[20]=0.58, p=0.01). There were no significant differences in diurnal sAA secretion between the sexually abused girls and healthy comparison adolescents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall morning concentrations of sAA in sexually abused girls are associated with overall PTSD severity as well as symptoms of hyperarousal and intrusive symptoms, possibly reflecting symptom-linked increases in ANS tone. These data raise the possibility that alterations in ANS activity are related to the pathophysiology of sexual abuse-related PTSD in adolescent girls, and may inform therapeutic interventions (e.g., antiadrenergic medications).
authors: 1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine , Salt Lake City, Utah.
authors: Brooks R
authors: BR
authors: Keeshin
authors: Jeffrey R
authors: JR
authors: Strawn
authors: Dorothee
authors: D
authors: Out
authors: Douglas A
authors: DA
authors: Granger
authors: Frank W
authors: FW
authors: Putnam
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055291:Salivary alpha-Amylases / Q000378:metabolism*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000201:enzymology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017741:Survivors
chemical_list: D055291:Salivary alpha-Amylases