Prevalence of mental disorders in acromegaly: a cross-sectional study in 81 acromegalic patients.
OBJECTIVE
Emotional and behavioural alterations have been described in acromegalic patients. However, the nature and psychopathological value of these changes remained unclear. We examined whether acromegalic patients have an increased prevalence of comorbid DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Version) mental disorders in comparison to subjects with or without chronic somatic disorders.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Max-Planck Institute of Psychiatry and the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich. Eighty-one acromegalic patients were enrolled. Control subjects with (n = 3281) and without chronic somatic (n = 430) disorders were drawn from a representative sample of the German adult general population as part of the Mental Health Supplement of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey. Lifetime and 12-month prevalences of DSM-IV mental disorders were assessed with face-to-face interviews using the standardized German computer-assisted version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview.


RESULTS
Acromegalic patients had increased lifetime rates of affective disorders of 34.6% compared to 21.4% in the group with chronic somatic disorders (OR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.2-3.2) and to 11.1% in the group without chronic somatic disorders (OR = 4.4, 95% CI 2.3-8.7). Affective disorders that occurred significantly more often than in the control groups began during the putative period of already present GH excess. Higher rates of DSM-IV mental disorders were reported in those patients with additional treatment after surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
Acromegaly is associated with an increased prevalence and a specific pattern of affective disorders. Greater emphasis on diagnosing and treatment of mental disorders in acromegalic patients might improve the disease management.
Sievers
Caroline
C
Departments of Endocrinology and Molecular Psychology, Max-Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstrasse 2-10, Munich, Germany. csievers@mpipsykl.mpg.de
Dimopoulou
Christina
C
Pfister
Hildegard
H
Lieb
Roselind
R
Steffin
Birgit
B
Roemmler
Josefine
J
Schopohl
Jochen
J
Mueller
Marion
M
Schneider
Harald Jörn
HJ
Ising
Marcus
M
Wittchen
Hans Ulrich
HU
Stalla
Guenter Karl
GK
D000172:Acromegaly / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged