Serum lipid levels in seasonal affective disorder

Previous research has assessed the relationship between blood lipid levels and depression with contradictory results. Several studies have linked low cholesterol levels with impulsive, aggressive and suicidal behaviours. The aim of this pilot study was to examine serum lipids in a sample of patients...

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Published in:European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience 2007-06, Vol.257 (4), p.197-202
Main Authors: Pjrek, Edda, Winkler, Dietmar, Abramson, David W, Konstantinidis, Anastasios, Stastny, Jürgen, Willeit, Matthäus, Praschak-Rieder, Nicole, Kasper, Siegfried
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis of Variance
Body Mass Index
Cholesterol - blood
Depressive Disorder - blood
Fasting
Female
Humans
Hypercholesterolemia - blood
Hypercholesterolemia - epidemiology
Lipids - blood
Male
Middle Aged
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Schizophrenia - blood
Seasonal Affective Disorder - blood
Seasonal Affective Disorder - epidemiology
Triglycerides - blood
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Summary:Previous research has assessed the relationship between blood lipid levels and depression with contradictory results. Several studies have linked low cholesterol levels with impulsive, aggressive and suicidal behaviours. The aim of this pilot study was to examine serum lipids in a sample of patients suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD). We conducted a retrospective analysis of data on total serum cholesterol and serum triglycerides in 39 SAD patients and 40 non-seasonally depressed or schizophrenic control subjects. Study subjects had to be free of psychotropic drugs for at least 2 weeks. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was performed to assess group differences. After adjustment for significant covariates SAD patients had significantly lower total cholesterol levels (5.21 +/- 1.14 mmol/l) than control subjects (5.94 +/- 1.11 mmol/l; p = 0.013). Moreover, hypercholesterolemia (total cholesterol > 5.20 mmol/l) was significantly less frequent in the SAD group (46.2%) than in the control group (75.0%; p = 0.012). Total serum triglycerides did not differ significantly between SAD patients (1.54 +/- 1.07 mmol/l) and controls (1.56 +/- 0.96 mmol/l; p = 0.126). The results of this study support the idea that low cholesterol levels may be of pathogenetic importance in SAD. Further study in larger clinical samples is warranted to clarify our findings.
ISSN:0940-1334
1433-8491
DOI:10.1007/s00406-006-0706-y