Inflammatory Markers in Obsessive-compulsive Disorder: The Role of Childhood Trauma

Objective: Childhood trauma and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have each been linked to inflammation, but its role in OCD-related inflammation remains unclear.We compared serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels among patients with OCD with and without childhood trauma and controls.Methods: Eighty-six patients with OCD (45 with and 41 without childhood trauma, classified using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) and 36 healthy controls were included.OCD severity was assessed with the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale.Group comparisons used nonparametric tests with false discovery rate (FDR) correction and confounder-adjusted quantile regression; childhood trauma was also analyzed continuously.Results: IL-6 (median 67.78 vs. 153.89pg/ml; p = 0.036) and TNF- (129.70 vs. 222.51pg/ml; p = 0.002) were lower in patients than controls.After adjustment for confounders, the IL-6 difference remained significant (p = 0.013), whereas the TNF- difference did not.CRP did not differ between groups.In the categorical comparison, IL-6 was lower in patients with than without childhood trauma (p = 0.028); however, this was not corroborated when trauma was analyzed continuously or after FDR correction.OCD severity was not correlated with any marker.TNF- and IL-6 levels were strongly positively correlated ( = 0.752, p ＜ 0.01).Conclusion: IL-6 and TNF- levels were lower in patients with OCD than in controls, with the IL-6 difference robust to adjustment.The association between childhood trauma and inflammation appears complex and was not supported dimensionally, underscoring the need for larger longitudinal studies.