Plasma homovanillic acid (HVA), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), 5-HT, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were measured in COPD patients who were depressed (depressed COPD) and COPD patients who were not depressed (non-depressed COPD), and also in age- and gender-matched non-depressed nonsmokers and smokers as controls.
All subjects had good functional status (activities of daily living 5.9 ± 0.1 and instrumental activities of daily living 6.9 ± 0.8) and were not depressed (Geriatric Depression Scale score 3.5 ± 2.2).
All subjects had normal pain thresholds at the site of stimulus application, no history of pain and were not depressed (Beck's Depression Inventory, test scores were 9 or below, mean = 2.1, standard deviation = 2.6).
In the same way, the proportion of non depressed was calculated as the number of subject who did not report a physician diagnosis of depression and were not depressed according the gold standard divided by the total of subjects who did not report a physician diagnosis of depression.
Conversely, 10% of the sample who were not depressed at baseline were classified as depressed at one year.
As compared to those who were not depressed, those who screened positive for Major Depression were less aware that it was unhelpful to try and deal with the problem alone.
Men with sub-threshold depression were significantly less likely to have PSA tests than men who were not depressed, suggesting that somatic symptoms associated with depression may be more pertinent during healthcare visits, or that GPs may be less likely to initiate discussions about PSA testing and prostate cancer with depressed men for fear of exacerbating their condition [ 31].
Results: Subjects' mean scores on the depression scale indicated that subjects were not depressed on average; however, 30% of the sample (n = 52) had scores indicative of clinical depression.
Incidence of depression was calculated in women who were not depressed at baseline based on proportions of new cases at follow-up in that sample.
Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that probable depressed patients were more likely than those who were not depressed to have had experience of alcohol abuse (OR: 19.03, 95% CI 3.11-375.85; p = 0.0083), and a 100 CD4 cells/mm3 fewer was associated with a 2.9 times increase of the odds of probable depression (95% CI 1.88-4.84; p < 0.0001).
Inference based on this model showed that probable depressed patients were more likely than those who were not depressed to have had experience of alcohol abuse (OR: 19.03, 95% CI 3.11-375.85; p = 0.0083), and a 100 CD4 cells/mm3 fewer was associated with a 2.9 times increase of the odds of probable depression (95% CI 1.88-4.84; p < 0.0001).
