title: Bupropion in the treatment of outpatients with asthma and major depressive disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Depressive disorders are common in asthma. Despite the high prevalence, antidepressant therapy in asthma patients with depression remains under-investigated. The objective of this pilot study was to investigate the use of bupropion for depression and anxiety in depressed asthma patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a 12-week open-label study of bupropion in 18 depressed asthma patients. Participants were assessed with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D-17), Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A), Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology--Self-Report (IDS-SR), Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) and spirometry at baseline and weeks 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant baseline to exit improvements were observed on the HAM-D-17 (mean change = 4.72, SD = 7.78, p = 0.02) and the HAM-A (mean change = 2.12, SD = 3.97, p = 0.04). Based on the HAM-D-17 scores, 27.8% of the patients were responders and 16.7% were remitters. Significant correlations were found between changes in ACQ score and HAM-D-17 r = 0.73, p = 0.001), ACQ score and IDS-SR r = 0.58, = 0.012), and FEV1% Predicted and HAM-D-17 r = -0.66, p = 0.006).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bupropion treatment was associated with significant improvements in depression and anxiety symptoms in asthma patients. Improvements in asthma correlated significantly with improvements in depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 75390-8849, USA. Sherwood.Brown@UTSouthwestern.edu
authors.forename: E Sherwood
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Lana A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Vornik
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: A John
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Rush
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016642:Bupropion / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015283:Citalopram / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015897:Comorbidity; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D010555:Personality Inventory; D010865:Pilot Projects; D010919:Placebos; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; D016642:Bupropion; D015283:Citalopram; D010919:Placebos; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors