Key result
Lower baseline adiponectin levels and use of IFN (n=14) were associated with the development of major depression in 50 HCV-infected patients over an 18-month follow-up.
Why the study?
Are plasma biomarkers like adiponectin associated with the development of major depression in HCV-infected patients?
Cohort (n=50)
Are plasma biomarkers like adiponectin associated with the development of major depression in HCV-infected patients?
Lower baseline adiponectin levels may serve as a biomarker for vulnerability to major depression in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
Adiponectin may flag depression vulnerability during IFN therapy in HCV; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change practice.
OBJECTIVE: Major depression (MD) is a condition associated with both hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and pegylated interferon (IFN)-α treatment. IFN induces a depressive syndrome that is associated with an inflammatory profile. We aimed to investigate whether there is any specific alteration in plasma biomarkers associated with MD. METHODS: HCV-monoinfected patients, with and without IFN treatment, were followed up for 18 months and went through structured psychiatric evaluation. We assessed plasma levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and its soluble type 1 and type 2 receptors (sTNFR1 and sTNFR2, respectively), and adipokines (adiponectin, leptin and resistin) using ELISA. RESULTS: Among the 50 patients included in the study, 14 were treated with IFN during the follow-up. Being older, not married, presenting higher body mass index, higher liver inflammatory activity, lower baseline adiponectin levels and use of IFN were associated with MD development. Higher levels of sTNFR1 during IFN treatment were associated with sustained virological response. The lack of a control group without HCV infection did not allow any assumption of a biomarker change exclusively due to the infection itself. CONCLUSION: Adiponectin may be a resilience biomarker for MD in HCV-infected patients.
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Fábregas et al. (2016) conducted a cohort in Chronic Hepatitis C (n=50). Lower baseline adiponectin levels and pegylated interferon (IFN)-α treatment was evaluated on Major depression development. Lower baseline adiponectin levels and use of IFN (n=14) were associated with the development of major depression in 50 HCV-infected patients over an 18-month follow-up.
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