Table 3 Summary of veteran, active duty, and civilian cohorts.

From: Epigenetic biotypes of post-traumatic stress disorder in war-zone exposed veteran and active duty males

 

Veteran

Active duty

Civilian

 

Discovery

Follow-up

Replication

Bronx VA

Ft Campbell

UCSF

Variables

PTSD+(83)

PTSD−(83)

p value T test

PTSD+(16)

PTSD Sub (12)

PTSD

−(31)

p value ANOVA

PTSD+(26)

PTSD−(28)

p value

PTSD+(28)

PTSD−(10)

p value

PTSD+(76)

PTSD Sub (57)

p value

MDD+

MDD−

p value

BMI (SD)

29.78 (6.13)

28.42 (4.80)

0.118

31.99 (5.16)

30.44 (7.96)

28.29 (4.17)

0.085

29.45 (6.71)

23.75 (9.06)

0.014

30.94 (4.64)

29.54 (4.31)

0.407

27.30 (3.68)

28.71 (3.35)

0.023

   

Age (SD)

32.68 (7.34)

32.52 (8.03)

0.901

33.63 (7.49)

34.92 (7.99)

35.97 (8.45)

0.643

36.46 (10.6)

33.79 (9.26)

0.331

36.88 (8.54)

35.9 (11.76)

0.815

28.74 (5.90)

28.12 (5.49)

0.538

40.47 (15.4)

38.68 (13.7)

0.504

Neutrophil % (SD)

56.09 (9.16)

54.45 (9.81)

0.282

50.63 (11.36)

51.95 (7.38)

52.70 (12.04)

0.840

57.21 (10.05)

58.17 (8.89)

0.739

   

Lymphocyte % (SD)

33.07 (8.11)

34.59 (9.45)

0.271

37.97 (10.53)

36.52 (6.72)

34.73 (10.60)

0.577

31.29 (9.44)

29.2 (7.83)

0.429

33.49 (10.76)

38.17 (9.78)

0.140

   

Monocyte % (SD)

7.78 (2.09)

7.93 (1.98)

0.651

7.57 (1.39)

7.75 (1.95)

8.83 (2.20)

0.084

8.06 (2.03)

8.65 (2.98)

0.448

8.19 (1.95)

7.35 (1.78)

0.157

   

Eosinophil % (SD)

2.60 (1.54)

2.58 (1.49)

0.922

3.09 (1.61)

3.14 (2.82)

3.16 (2.27)

0.994

2.72 (2.57)

3.48 (1.86)

0.263

   

Basophil % (SD)

0.51 (0.26)

0.59 (0.35)

0.117

0.53 (0.37)

0.47 (0.18)

0.54 (0.23)

0.771

0.51 (0.30)

0.48 (0.17)

0.706

   

CAPS total current (SD)

68.65 (16.91)

3.78 (5.14)

<0.001

70.88 (18.75)

36.50 (9.43)

4.87 (7.13)

<0.001

67.15 (19.37)

3.57 (5.93)

<0.001

84.76 (12.77)

7.4 (6.54)

<0.001

   

PCL score (SD)

61.24 (11.84)

25.93 (8.98)

<0.001

61.54 (9.96)

44.45 (10.29)

26.57 (13.81)

<0.001

53.43 (14.93)

22.69 (7.31)

<0.001

48.49 (8.67)

33.72 (2.26)

<0.001

   

BDI score (SD)

25.06 (10.82)

5.83 (6.23)

<0.001

25.67 (12.36)

18.83 (10.50)

3.63 (4.94)

<0.001

22.47 (11.48)

7.11 (8.40)

<0.001

         

Smokers*

21

8

<0.001*

5

5

5

<0.001*

17

6

<0.001*

         

Alcohol Use Identification Test (SD)

3.22 (3.69)

2.92 (2.42)

0.531

2.31 (4.40)

2.09 (1.87)

2.97 (2.80)

0.667

3.74 (3.77)

3.20 (2.53)

0.568

         

Numbers of deployment

1.82 (0.84)

1.77 (0.89)

0.720

1.93 (1.07)

1.82 (0.87)

1.65 (0.75)

0.651

1.35 (0.56)

2.07 (1.46)

0.020

         
  1. Veterans with PTSD positive had warzone-related PTSD symptoms for at least a 3-month duration with a current CAPS total score ≥40. The PTSD negative veterans who had also been exposed to warzone stressors with a current CAPS total score ≤20 and did not have lifetime PTSD. The veterans with a current CAPS total score between 20 and 40 were PTSD subthreshold.
  2. Exclusion criteria: history of moderate to severe traumatic brain injury; drug abuse within the past year or alcohol dependence within the past 8 months; prominent suicidal or homicidal ideation; lifetime history of any psychiatric disorder with psychotic features, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder; neurologic disorders affecting central nervous system function; and subjects who were not stable for more than 2 months on psychiatric medication, anticonvulsants, antihypertensive medication or sympathomimetic medication. Comorbid MDD (BDI ≥ 18) were not exclusionary if PTSD was considered the primary diagnosis.
  3. Bronx VA cohort also excluded the presence of diabetes mellitus or any current unstable medical condition that represents a contraindication to taking glucocorticoids.
  4. Active duty exposed to warzone stressors with PCL5 ≥ 38 were defined as PTSD positive, the individuals with PCL5 < 28 were PTSD negative. The others were PTSD subthreshold.
  5. *This p value is based on Chi-square test.