Researchers Identify PTSD Biomarkers Across Multiple Organ Systems

Researchers from Mass General Brigham, the Broad Trauma Initiative, and Harvard University have identified scalable, blood-based biomarkers associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) across multiple organ systems, suggesting that routine lab tests may one day help reveal how PTSD affects whole-body health. Published in Molecular Psychiatry, the study points to a potential way to connect psychiatric symptoms with broader physical health changes.

Using data from 23,743 adults in the Mass General Brigham Biobank, the investigators combined genomic information with electronic health records to compare genetic risk for PTSD with clinical PTSD diagnoses. From this analysis, they found 16 clinical laboratory markers that were consistently associated with both genetic risk and PTSD diagnosis.

The biomarkers included cholesterol and glucose levels, along with liver-related measures such as albumin and bilirubin. They also included red and white blood cell counts and other lab tests that are already part of routine medical care. Taken together, these measures suggest that PTSD may be linked to broad biological changes rather than effects limited to one system.

Further genetic analysis supported the interpretation that PTSD is more likely to drive changes in these biomarkers than the biomarkers influencing PTSD development. As lead author Younga (Heather) Lee  said, “Importantly, our study suggests that PTSD could lead to widespread physical changes affecting cardiometabolic health, immune health, and hepatic health, pointing to PTSD as an upstream contributor to these adverse biomarker profiles. Finding scalable, blood-based biomarkers could help inform timely interventions aimed at mitigating chronic disease risk, which could ultimately improve long-term health outcomes among patients living with PTSD,”

Lee added that, “This multi-system impact helps us understand why untreated PTSD can have such devastating effects on patients' overall health. It underscores the importance of moving away from treating PTSD in isolation and toward recognizing its effects across the body,”

The researchers say the next step is to validate these biomarkers in larger and more diverse populations before routine blood tests could be used to support PTSD care in clinical practice.