Objective: To study the association between 5-HTTVNTR polymorphism and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Chinese Han adolescents after the Wenchuan Earthquake, and investigation of the genetic mechanism of PTSD.
Methods: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect the distributive frequency of 5-HTTVNTR polymorphism of 236 PTSD patients (patient group) and 234 normal people (control group), Plink version 1.07 was used to analyze the genotyping results.
Results: The frequency of 5-HTTVNTR allele 12 in PTSD group was significantly higher than control group (93.2% vs. 88.9%, chi2 = 5.42, P = 0.020). The 12/12 genotype in PTSD group and control group was 88.1% and 79.7%; 10/12 genotype was 10.2% and 19.6%; 10/10 genotype was 1.7% and 1.7%. The distributive frequency of all three genotypes (12/12, 10/12, 10/10) showed statistically significant (P = 0.023).
Conclusion: The allele 12 of 5-HTTVNTR may increase the risk of PTSD in Chinese Han adolescents, 12/12 genotype may be the susceptibility gene, and heterozygote 10/12 may act as the protective factor of PTSD.