Abstract
BACKGROUND: Patients with panic disorder (PD) show alterations of the immune reactivity to acute stress, which could serve as a marker for effective treatment. Nevertheless, the effect of immune reactivity under acute stress before treatment on therapy outcome remains unclear. METHODS: A total of N = 16 PD patients performed the Trier Social Test. Blood sample collection of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 accompanied the TSST. The Mobility Inventory was handed out for the assessment of avoidance behavior before and after treatment. Area under the curve with respect to the ground (AUC(G)) and increase (AUC(I)) were calculated for assessed cytokine levels and were used as predictors for therapy outcome in regression analyses. RESULTS: AUC(G) significantly predicts avoidance behavior in company after treatment (β = -0.007, p = .033) but not avoidance behavior alone (β = -0.003, p = .264). AUC(I) does not significantly predict therapy outcome. CONCLUSION: Higher concentrations of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 under acute stress before treatment predicts less avoidance behavior in company after therapy. Immune markers seem to play a crucial role in the maintenance of mental disorders such as PD. Underlying mechanisms and IL-10 as a marker for individualized treatments should be investigated in future studies.