ASSOCIATION OF PTSD WITH TELOMERE LENGTH IN FEMALE RAPE VICTIMS

Background Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a clinical condition that occurs after experiencing a traumatic external stressful situation, such as exposure to sexual assault or rape. Previous studies suggested that PTSD may be associated with shortened Leukocyte Telomere Length (LTL), in war veterans. Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences located at the ends of chromatids that become shorter after each cell division. Some findings proposed that stress induced by trauma is a probable cause of accelerated telomere shortening. We examined a cross-sectional association between LTL and PTSD or psychopathological measures in rape victims. Methods The study population consisted of 32 women rape victims with PTSD diagnosis (PTSD group) and 34 healthy controls women without history of sexual trauma and mental disorders (HC group), with ages between 18 and 43 years. All participants were evaluated using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) compatible with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM-V), Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), which assesses PTSD symptoms, and Life Events Checklist for DSM-V, which appraises the trauma exposure. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes and telomere repeat copy number relative to single gene copy number (relative T/S ratio) was determined by quantitative real-time PCR telomere assay. We used logistic and linear regression models to assess associations between relative T/S ratio and PTSD or its symptoms, respectively. Results The relative T/S ratio was determined in all samples and we found that PTSD diagnosis was associated with longer LTL, after adjusting for age at blood draw (p=0.008; β=3.796; 95% confidence interval: 1.409 – 10.229), indicating elongation LTL in PTSD group (relative T/S ratio mean=0.336; Std Deviation=0.109) compared to HC control (relative T/S ratio mean=-0.316; Std Deviation=0.161). However, LTL was not associated to PTSD symptom severity, measured by CAPS (t=-0.993; p=329). Discussion Our study found evidence of longer telomere length in women with PTSD diagnosis compared to healthy controls. In contrast, only one study showed accelerated LTL shortening in women rape victims with PTSD diagnosis, although, this study must be interpreted with caution, as the sample size was very small (n=9). Nevertheless, the LTL was not significantly associated with CAPS scores, possibly due to our sample size. Only one study found PTSD symptoms were associated to shorter telomeres in women exposed to different traumas, include rape, interpersonal violence, sudden death of a loved one. The telomere dynamics in PTSD is unclear; few studies investigated the relationship between LTL and PTSD, in women rape victims. Different mechanisms may contribute to LTL in PTSD, including neuroprogression it was also associated with elongation of LTL in schizophrenia. Our results show that PTSD was associated to longer LTL in rape victims, perhaps, due to the action of neuroprogression in PTSD.