Publication: Altered serum levels of thyroxine, triiodothyroinine and thyroid stimulating hormone in patients with depression
Date
2007
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Kathmandu University
Abstract
Objective: To assess serum level of Thyroxine (T4), Triiodothyronine(T3) and thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH)
in patient with depression.
Methods: Thirty one clinically diagnosed depressed patients and equal number of healthy, age and sex matched
control subjects were included in this study. Ham-D scale was used to classify the degree of depression into mild,
moderate and severe grades. The biochemical parameters (T3, T4 and TSH) were estimated using commercially
available kits. The data were analyzed by using (SPSS-10 software), one way ANOVA and χ2 test.
Result: Female depressed (n = 17) cases outnumber the male depressed cases. The distributions of patients in mild,
moderate and severe categories were similar. The T3 and T4 level were found to be significantly raised in the
moderate depression as compared to the healthy controls. ANOVA with multiple comparisons testing among the
patient group showed a significant high TSH level (F> 3.17) at 5% level of significance. A total of six depressive
patients were found to have thyroid abnormalities.
Conclusion: This study therefore points towards presence of thyroid dysfunction among the depressive which most
often characterized as a “Lower Thyroid Syndrome”. Thus inclusion of thyroid screening test among depressive
patients may be helpful in proper management of cases.
Description
Das BKL1 , Baral N 1, Shyangwa PM 2, Toora BD 1, Lamsal M 1
1 Department of Biochemistry, 2Department of Psychiatry, B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal