[Depressive disorders associated with neurocysticercosis: prevalence and clinical correlations].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the frequency and features of psychiatric morbidity in a cross-section of 38 outpatients with neurocysticercosis.


METHODS
Diagnosis of neurocysticercosis was established by CT scan, MRI and CSF analysis. Psychiatric diagnoses were made by using the Present State Examination and the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia. Lifetime version; cognitive state was assessed by Mini-Mental State Examination and Strub & Black's Mental Status Examination.


RESULTS
Depression was the most frequent psychiatric diagnosis (52.6%) as shown by PSE. Active disease and intracranial hypertension were associated with higher psychiatric morbidity, and previous history of mood disorders was strongly related to current depression.


CONCLUSIONS
Depression syndromes are frequent in patients with neurocysticercosis. The extent to which organic mechanisms related to brain lesions may underlie the observed mental changes is yet unclear, though the similar sex distribution of patients with and without depression, as well as the above mentioned correlations, provide further evidence of the role played by organic factors in the cause of these syndromes. The results of this study are discussed in the light of the data available for other organic psychiatric disorders.
Laboratório de Investigações Médicas (LIM-23) do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil.
O V
OV
Forlenza
A H
AH
Vieira Filho
L dos R
Ldos R
Machado
J P
JP
Nóbrega
N G
NG
de Barros
D000328:Adult; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000469:parasitology*; D003551:Cysticercosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors