Serum haptoglobin levels in patients with melancholic and nonmelancholic major depression.
BACKGROUND
Major depression (MD) is accompanied by systemic immune activation or an inflammatory response with the involvement of phagocytic cells, T cell activation, B cell proliferation, and an acute phase response with increased levels of positive and decreased levels of negative acute-phase proteins. In this study, we aimed to determine any differences in serum haptoglobin (Hp) concentrations among patients with melancholic and nonmelancholic MD and the healthy controls.


METHODS
This study involved 125 male patients who were admitted to the Department of Psychiatry, Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GMMA), in Ankara, Turkey. They were diagnosed with MD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) and agreed to participate in the study. The melancholic group consisted of 37 patients and the nonmelancholic group had 45 patients. A healthy control group of 40 subjects was selected from the staff of GMMA. These subjects had not had any lifetime psychiatric diagnosis or psychiatric treatment in their medical histories. Peripheral venous blood samples were obtained from the patients and the control group for a complete blood count, routine biochemistry, and the detection of serum Hp levels.


RESULTS
There was no statistically significant difference among the melancholic MD, the nonmelancholic MD, and the healthy control groups in terms of age, level of education, and gender. Serum Hp concentrations are significantly higher in melancholic patients as compared with non-melancholic depressed patients and controls. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the nonmelancholic MD and the control group in terms of Hp concentrations.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study are important in terms of showing different serum Hp concentrations in patients with melancholic and nonmelancholic MD.
Gulhane Military Medical Academy, Department of Psychiatry, Ankara, Turkey.
Murat
M
Erdem
Cemil
C
Celik
Tuncer
T
Cayci
Barbaros
B
Ozdemir
Yasemin Gulcan
YG
Kurt
Emin Ozgur
EO
Akgul
Halil
H
Yaman
Adem
A
Balikci
Ozcan
O
Uzun
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D006242:Haptoglobins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012372:ROC Curve; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
D015415:Biomarkers; D006242:Haptoglobins