Biological psychiatry
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Biological psychiatry · Dec 2001
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialThe effect of stress doses of hydrocortisone during septic shock on posttraumatic stress disorder in survivors.
Exposure to intense physical and psychological stress during septic shock can result in posttraumatic stress disorder in survivors. Patients with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder often show sustained reductions in serum cortisol concentration. This investigation examines whether increasing serum cortisol levels with hydrocortisone treatment during septic shock reduces the incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder in survivors. ⋯ The administration of hydrocortisone during septic shock in a dosage similar to the endogenous maximal production rate was associated with a lower incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder in long-term survivors, which seems to be independent of the number of categories of traumatic memory.
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Biological psychiatry · Dec 2001
Increased pituitary and adrenal reactivity in premenopausal women with posttraumatic stress disorder.
Limited studies of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation in posttraumatic stress disorder have been performed in premenopausal women. We therefore undertook a study of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation in this population. ⋯ Pituitary and adrenal hyperreactivity to exogenous corticotropin releasing factor and adrenocorticotropic hormone is demonstrated in premenopausal women with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder. Cortisol hyperreactivity thus may play a role in the pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder in women.