PTSD Leaves a Biological Signature in Blood Tests

Researchers at Mass General Brigham, the Broad Trauma Initiative, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have identified scalable, blood-based biomarkers associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) across multiple organ systems. The findings, published in Molecular Psychiatry, suggest that routine laboratory tests could one day inform PTSD care by capturing its effects on the body and helping explain why PTSD is linked to many chronic physical health problems.

Investigators analyzed data from 23,743 adult participants in the Mass General Brigham Biobank, combining genomic information with electronic health records (EHR). They estimated genetic risk for PTSD using multiple associated genetic variants, and clinical risk based on PTSD diagnoses recorded in the EHR.

Researchers identified 16 clinical laboratory markers consistently associated with both genetic risk for PTSD and the diagnostic history of PTSD. These biomarkers include cholesterol and glucose levels, as well as liver indicators such as albumin and bilirubin, in addition to red and white blood cell counts and other routinely ordered lab tests. These tests are commonly used in everyday medical care and may reveal the broad physical impact of PTSD on the body. Further genetic analysis supports the idea that PTSD is likely to cause changes in these biomarkers, rather than these biomarkers influencing the development of PTSD.

“Importantly, our study suggests that PTSD could lead to widespread physical changes affecting cardiometabolic health, immune health, and hepatic health, pointing to PTSD as an upstream contributor to these adverse biomarker profiles. Finding scalable, blood-based biomarkers could help inform timely interventions aimed at mitigating chronic disease risk, which could ultimately improve long-term health outcomes among patients living with PTSD,” said lead author Younga (Heather) Lee, PhD, an Instructor at the Mass General Brigham Department of Psychiatry. Lee is also affiliated with the Broad Trauma Initiative and the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard Chan School.

“This multi-system impact helps us understand why untreated PTSD can have such devastating effects on patients' overall health. It underscores the importance of moving away from treating PTSD in isolation and toward recognizing its effects across the body,” Lee said.

Validating these biomarkers in larger and more diverse populations will be a key next step toward using routine lab tests to support PTSD care in everyday clinical practice.