Liu Qiaojin,Wen Na,Zhu Cheng, et al. Correlation between changes of plasma cortisol concentration and symptom improvement in patients with post schizophrenia depression[J]. JOURNAL OF WEZHOU MEDICAL UNIVERSITY, 2020, 50(2): 125-129.
Abstract：Objective: To explore the relationship between the changes of plasma cortisol levels and the improvement in patients with post schizophrenia depression. Methods: A total of 60 post schizophrenic depression patients from the Affiliated Kangning Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University between March 2018 and December 2018 were enrolled as case group, while 60 cases of schizophrenia after recovery were enrolled as the control group. Both the case group and the control group were only previously treated with risperidone. The plasma cortisol level of the patients was measured by ELISA after entering the group. Paroxetine was added to the case group. Four weeks before and after the treatment, the depressive symptoms of the case group were evaluated by the HAMD scale. After 4-week treatment, the plasma cortisol level of the case group was measured by ELISA. Results: The plasma cortisol level of cases group was significantly higher than that of the control group (t=7.206, P<0.001). After 4 weeks’ treatment, the HAMD total score and factor score of anxiety/somatization, body weight, cognitive disorder, day and night change, retardation, sleep disorder, hopelessness and the plasma cortisol level of the case group were significantly lower than those before treatment (P<0.001). Before and after treatment, the changes of plasma cortisol of the case group were positively related to the improvement of HAMD total scores and factor score of anxiety/somatization, cognitive and hopelessness (r=0.346, 0.367, 0.297, 0.246, P<0.05). The results of linear regression analysis showed the changes of cortisol in the case group could explain 22.5% of the HAMD total, 26.5% of the anxiety/somatization, 17.6% of the cognitive, 13.6% of the hopelessness respectively. Conclusion: The changes of plasma cortisol levels were significantly related to the improvements of symptoms in patients with post schizophrenia depression, so the abnormal plasma cortisol levels might be one of the factors influencing the incidence of post schizophrenia depression.
