T3 blood levels and treatment outcome in depression.
OBJECTIVE
We examined the correlation between the basal triiodothyronine resin uptake (T3-RU) levels in depressed subjects and the response to anti-depressant treatment.


METHODS
We treated with fluoxetine 235 outpatients meeting DSM-IV criteria for major depression. We measured T3 resin uptake (T3-RU) levels before the onset of treatment. The 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (Ham-D-17) was administered before, during and after the eight weeks of treatment to assess changes in depressive symptoms.


RESULTS
16 patients (6.8 percent) had low T3-RU levels (range 16.5-21), and 7 patients (3.0 percent) had high T3-RU levels (range 36-38). No relationship was found between T3-RU levels and clinical improvement, defined as either total Ham-D-17 score change or Ham-D-17 score < or = 7 in the last 3 weeks of treatment, even after adjusting for baseline severity of depression.


CONCLUSIONS
Abnormal T3-RU levels are rather uncommon in outpatient depression and do not correlate with the response to antidepressant treatment or lack thereof.
Iosifescu
D V
DV
Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Howarth
S
S
Alpert
J E
JE
Nierenberg
A A
AA
Worthington
J J
JJ
Fava
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood
D005473:Fluoxetine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; D014284:Triiodothyronine