title: The effect of diagnosis and age on the DST: a metaanalytic approach.
abstract: The authors present new data on the results of the pretreatment Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST) in 164 drug-free inpatients, as well as on the effects of age on postdexamethasone cortisol values. Nonsuppression rates were 18% in schizophrenic patients (n = 44), versus 46% in patients with a major depression (n = 56). In addition, a significant correlation was found between age and the 4:00 PM postdexamethasone cortisol value among the depressed patients (r = 0.33). The authors then applied a metaanalysis to summarize 25 other studies that have addressed the schizophrenia/major depression dichotomy as it relates to the DST outcome. Nonsuppression rates were consistently different in schizophrenic patients (19%) when compared to patients with a major depression (51%) or normal controls (7%). These differences were highly significant as measured by the Mantel-Haenszel chi-square statistic. A metaanalysis applied to a series of correlations obtained from 14 other studies reporting an age/postdexamethasone cortisol relationship in affective patients indicated a modest, but significant correlation (r = 0.24) in a total of 1284 patients (p less than 1 x 10(-8)).
authors.affiliation: Illinois State Psychiatric Institute, Chicago 60612.
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: G N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Pandey
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Janicak
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Comaty
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003907:Dexamethasone; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D003907:Dexamethasone; D006854:Hydrocortisone