Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry (생물정신의학)

The Korean Society of Biological Psychiatry (대한생물정신의학회)
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The Effect of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms on the Results of Combined Dexamethasone/Corticotropin Releasing Hormone Test in Patients with Schizophrenia

정신분열병 환자의 우울증상과 불안증상이 Dexamethasone/Corticotropin Releasing Hormone 병합검사 결과에 미치는 영향

  • Han, Byung-Jin (Comfort-mind Psychiatric Clinic) ;
  • Lee, Sang-Ick (Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University School of Medicine) ;
  • Shin, Chul-Jin (Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University School of Medicine) ;
  • Son, Jung-Woo (Department of Psychiatry, Chungbuk National University School of Medicine)
  • 한병진 (마음편한 정신과의원) ;
  • 이상익 (충북대학교 의과대학 정신과학교실) ;
  • 신철진 (충북대학교 의과대학 정신과학교실) ;
  • 손정우 (충북대학교 의과대학 정신과학교실)
  • Published : 2010.05.31
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Abstract

Objectives : The aim of this research is to determine the effects of depression and anxiety symptoms of schizophrenic psychopathology on the HPA axis. Methods : Twenty patients with schizophrenia were included and divided into the medication non-exposed group(n = 10) and the medication exposed group(n = 10). Evaluated scales were the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS), Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms(SANS), Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms(SAPS), Hamilton Depression Inventory(HAM-D) and Hamilton Anxiety Inventory (HAM-A), and then the combined Dexamethasone/Corticotropin Releasing Hormone(DEX/CRH) test was conducted to determine the basal level, the peak level and the area under the curve(AUC) of cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH). Results : When the correlations between each psychopathology and cortisol level or ACTH AUC value were analyzed, HAM-D showed a negative correlation, whereas HAM-A showed a positive correlation. Also, the non-depression group(HAM-D ${\leq}$ 18) showed higher cortisol and ACTH concentrations than the depression group(HAM-D > 18), and the anxiety group(HAM-A ${\geq}$ 14) showed significantly higher concentrations than the non-anxiety group(HAM-D < 14)(p < 0.05). Also, as for the comparison between the medication non-exposed group and the medication exposed group, the non-exposed group showed significantly higher cortisol and ACTH concentration than exposed group(p < 0.05). Conclusion : This study suggest that anxiety symptoms rather than depression symptoms are related to the increased activity of the HPA axis of schizophrenics.

Keywords

References

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