title: Early prediction of fluoxetine response for Han Chinese inpatients with major depressive disorder.
abstract: The onset of antidepressant action is vital clinically. This study aimed to testify whether early symptom improvement can predict eventual treatment response at week 6 among depressive hospitalized patients taking fluoxetine. One hundred thirty-one hospitalized patients with major depressive disorder received 20 mg/d of fluoxetine for 6 weeks. Symptom severity was assessed by the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) at weeks 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. Stable response was defined as a reduction of 50% or more in the HAMD-17 total score at weeks 4 and 6 of treatment. Receiver operating characteristic curve was used to determine the cutoff point of the percentage of HAMD-17 score reduction between stable responders and nonresponders at weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4. At weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4, HAMD-17 score reductions of 25%, 39%, 43%, and 50% seemed to be the optimal cutoff points for predicting eventual response. They provided a sensitivity of 78%, 86%, 91%, and 93% and a specificity of 61%, 74%, 76%, and 92%. The percentage of HAMD-17 reduction at week 4 excellently predicted final response at week 6. Patients with less than a 50% symptom reduction during the first 4 weeks of treatment are unlikely to reach a final stable response. Whether this model can be applied to establish a prediction system for other antidepressants or for outpatients warrants further research.
authors.affiliation: Kai-Suan Psychiatric Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching-Hua
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Hsien-Yuan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.forename: Cheng-Chung
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Suh-Hang Hank
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Juo
authors.forename: Cheng-Fang
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Yen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D005473:Fluoxetine