Survey study, 2021
Do immune system markers relate to hostility or depression in the premenstrual phase?
Paranoid hostility was linked to higher inflammatory markers during the premenstrual phase, but depression symptoms were not linked to these markers.
What they did
Followed 22 medical students (mean age 22.95 years) across one complete menstrual cycle. Took blood samples at the follicular, mid-luteal, and late-luteal phases and measured both mood symptoms and four inflammatory markers at each point.
What they found
Paranoid hostility was positively correlated with three inflammatory markers in the late luteal phase: IL-8 (Rs=0.476, p=0.046), IL-1α (Rs=0.458, p=0.048), and TNF-α (Rs=0.518, p=0.023). Depression symptoms showed no significant correlations. Mean cytokine levels did not change significantly across the menstrual cycle.
What it means for you
Inflammatory markers may contribute to suspicious and mistrustful feelings in the premenstrual phase. The study is very small (only 22 medical students), looked at only one cycle, and it is unclear if findings apply to other women.
22
women studied
0.046
IL-8 correlation p-value
0.023
TNF-alpha correlation p-value
About the study
- Original title
- Paranoid Hostility but Not Depressive Symptoms Associated with Cytokines During the Premenstrual Phase in Young Women
- Authors
- Ioannis Syros
- Year
- 2021
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- None
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.53902/sojnn.2021.01.000505
Topics
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