Hemogram parameters in childhood anxiety disorders: Could anxiety disorders be related with inflammation?

In the etiology of anxiety disorders, immune system and inflammation are suggested to play a role. This study hypothesized that there is a relationship between anxiety disorders and inflammation. This retrospective study included 131 children and adolescents between the ages 6-17 who were diagnosed with anxiety disorders. Control group consisted of 131 healthy children with no history of psychiatric disorders or chronic inflammatory conditions. White blood cell (WBC), neutrophil (NEU), lymphocyte, monocyte, basophil, eosinophil values and other hematological markers were noted. From those values, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and other ratios were calculated. WBC and NEU values were significantly higher in children and adolescents with anxiety disorder compared to the control group. In addition, NLR, MLR and PLR values were significantly higher than the control group. Other measured parameters and calculated values did not differ between study groups. No statistically significant difference was found between Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) group, Social Anxiety Disorder group and Not Otherwise Specified Anxiety Disorders (AD-NOS) group in terms of hematological markers except RDW-CV. Only RDW-CV was found statistically significantly higher in AD-NOS group compared to GAD. These results show that there is an association between inflammation and anxiety disorders. Also, it is postulated that hematological parameters can be used as a useful marker in the follow-up of patients with anxiety disorders.