Prediction of outcome in depressed patients by weekly monitoring with the dexamethasone suppression test.
Forty-three depressed patients in hospital were studied with weekly dexamethasone suppression tests (DSTs) and were followed as out-patients for at least three months after discharge. The detection rate of patients with LHPA axis dysfunction increased from 41% with a single DST to 59% with serial DSTs. There was a poor correlation between weekly post-dexamethasone cortisol levels and Hamilton depression rating scores. In patients with evidence of LHPA axis dysfunction, a DST at discharge discriminated effectively between a good and a poor outcome group; persistent non-suppression was strongly linked with a relapse of depression in the first three months after discharge. In general, our results support previous claims that the DST is a state marker for depressive illness.
D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003907:Dexamethasone; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008032:Limbic System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012008:Recurrence
D003907:Dexamethasone