Study: Simple Blood Test Helps Predict Success of Antidepressant Therapy
Baseline C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in patients with major depressive disorder could be used to predict outcomes with antidepressant treatment options, according to a new study
Currently, there are no valid clinical measures that can be used to select the optimal therapy for treating patients with depression. For their study, the researchers explored the possibility of using a blood test which assesses CRP and 2 other inflammatory markers to predict differential responses to available antidepressant therapies.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
RELATED CONTENT
Study: Twice-Weekly Yoga Could Help Alleviate Depression Symptoms
Study: Many Cancer Survivors Struggle with Anxiety, Depression
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The study included 106 participants involved in the Combining Medications to Enhance Depression Outcomes (CO-MED) trial. Fifty-one of the participants were randomly assigned to receive escitalopram plus placebo (SSRI monotherapy) and 55 participants were randomly assigned to receive bupropion plus escitalopram combination (bupropion-SSRI combination).
Researchers measured CRP, serum amyloid P component, and alpha-2-macroglobulin, and data on side-effect burden and depressive symptoms were collected every week or every other week for 12 weeks.
A total of 74 participants (69.8%) had baseline CRP levels above 1 mg/L. There were no differences between treatment arms for depressive symptoms or side effect outcomes.
Overall, patients with low CRP level (<1 mg/L) respond better to SSRI monotherapy while those with higher levels respond better to combination of bupropion and SSRI. The overall remission rate was 41.5%
“Baseline CRP levels relate differentially to antidepressant treatment outcomes in persons with major depressive disorder,” the researchers concluded.
—Melissa Weiss
Reference:
Jha MK, Minhajjudin, Gadad BS, et al. Can C-reactive protein inform antidepressant medication selection in depressed outpatients? Findings from the CO-MED trial [published online January 24, 2017]. Psychoneuroendocrinology. doi: dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.01.023.