Relationship between serum lipid concentrations and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in soldiers with combat experiences.

The aim of our study was to assess concentrations of serum cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides in soldiers with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in comparison with combat-experienced soldiers without PTSD. The second aim of our study was to explore the relationship between PTSD symptoms such as re-experiencing, avoidance, increased arousal, and serum lipid levels. In 53 soldiers with combat-related PTSD and 49 with combat experiences without PTSD, serum cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, and triglycerides were assayed by an enzyme-assay method. Soldiers with combat-related PTSD were found to have significantly higher concentrations of cholesterol (P = 0.001), LDL-C (P = 0.002), and triglycerides (P = 0.001) than soldiers without current PTSD. HDL-C was statistically lower (P < 0.001) in soldiers with combat-related PTSD than in those without PTSD. A positive correlation was found between increased arousal and cholesterol (r = 0.464; P = 0.039), or LDL-C (r = 0.479; P = 0.021) concentrations.