Correlation between emotional reaction to loss of an unborn child and lymphocyte response to mitogenic stimulation in women
Naor, S.; Assael, M.; Pecht, M.; Trainin, N.; Samuel, D.
Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences 20(3): 231-239
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0333-7308 PMID: 6609150 Document Number: 212363
The effect of emotional stress due to the loss of a loved object such as an unborn child on some parameters of cell-mediated immunity was studied in 77 women who had undergone abortions. Based on their psychiatric reaction to this loss, these women were subdivided into 2 groups: 1) Group NA--those not accepting this loss and 2) Group A--those appearing to accept this loss. The response of lymphocytes from peripheral blood taken during the psychiatric interview to the mitogens phytochemagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin-A (Con-A) in Group NA was compared with the lymphocyte response in blood from Group A. The percent of T-cells was also measured in the 2 groups. It was found that nonacceptance of the loss of a fetus correlated with a significant reduction in the proliferative response to both PHA and Con-A. The percent of T-cells remained constant across both groups. When each of the psychiatric parameters of anxiety, guilt, and despression were correlated separately with the immune response, the most marked effect was found in those women who had the highest score on the depression scale.