Thyroid hormone levels and recurrence of major depression.
OBJECTIVE
The relationship between basal thyroid hormone levels and acute antidepressant response has been studied, but any relationship between basal thyroid hormone levels and long-term course of depressive illness has not been evaluated.


METHODS
The authors used a Cox regression survival analysis to evaluate the relationship between life course of depressive illness and basal levels of thyroid hormones (triiodothyronine [T(3)], thyroxine [T(4)], and thyrotropin) in 75 outpatients with unipolar major depressive disorder.


RESULTS
Time to recurrence of major depression was inversely related to T(3) levels but not to T(4) levels.


CONCLUSIONS
These data may be of clinical interest in view of the fact that T(3) is used to augment antidepressant response.
Joffe
R T
RT
Mood Disorders Program and Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. joffe@fhs.csu.mcmaster.ca
Marriott
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood*; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood*; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood*
D014284:Triiodothyronine; D013972:Thyrotropin; D013974:Thyroxine