Circulating Lymphocyte Phenotypic Surface Markers in Anxiety Disorder Patients and Normal Volunteers

Background: Although the relationship between stress and immune function is an area of active investigation, there have been few reports studying the relationship between anxiety disorders and the immune system. Methods: This study employs flow cytometry to measure circulating lymphocyte phenotypic markers in 20 medication-free patients with panic disorder, 33 medication-free patients with generalized social phobia, and 32 healthy controls. Results: Both patients with panic disorder and patients with social phobia had increased CD16 (natural killer) cell numbers. Panic disorder patients also had increased numbers of CD19 cells (B lymphocytes), human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR-presenting cells, and more cells with the combination of HLA-DR and CD19 surface markers (B lymphocytes with HLA-DR on their surface). Conclusions: These preliminary data suggest that subjects with panic disorder may have alterations in circulating lymphocyte profiles.