Researchers conducted a population-matched, sibling-matched retrospective Swedish cohort study to identify whether a link exists between stress-related disorders (including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress reaction) and subsequent autoimmune disease. Patients with stress-related disorders were at increased risk of developing autoimmune disease compared with population-matched individuals (HR 1.36 (95% CI 1.33-1.40)). Treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors during the first year following a diagnosis of PTSD was associated with attenuated relative risk of autoimmune disease.
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Song, H. et al. Association of stress-related disorders with subsequent autoimmune disease. JAMA 319, 2388–2400 (2018)
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Leake, I. Is there a link between stress and autoimmunity?. Nat Rev Rheumatol 14, 442 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41584-018-0053-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41584-018-0053-1