title: Zinc in drug-naïve patients with short-illness-duration first episode major depressive disorder: impact on psychopathological features.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In major depressive disorder (MDD) hypozincaemia associated with symptoms severity, melancholia, anxiety and treatment-resistance is reported. Data linking zinc with specific psychopathological dimensions is limited.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plasma zinc was analyzed in this cross-sectional case-control study on 20 non-late-life adult, treatment-naïve MDD patients with short-illness-duration first affective episode and 20 matched healthy controls together with psychometric evaluations including Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17) and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant difference in zinc levels was found between MDD subjects and controls. No significant correlations were observed between zinc concentration and the total HAMD-17 score as well as with the specific core depression, insomnia, anxiety and somatic psychopathological dimensions or STAIX-1 and STAIX-2 scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study provides evidence for unchanged plasma zinc concentration at early stage of MDD and failed to demonstrate any correlation between plasma zinc and psychopathological features including severity of symptoms and specific psychopathological dimensions in MDD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Wiesław Jerzy
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Cubala
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Landowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Szyszko
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Bartosz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wielgomas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult; D015032:Zinc / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015032:Zinc