Correlation between thyroxine levels of serum and depression in patients with chronic alcohol dependence / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the alteration of the peripheral thyroid hormone level in patients with chronic alcohol dependence and its relationship with depressive emotion.Methods Data were collected from 21 male patients with chronic alcohol dependence (case group) and 21 male health control (control group).Hamilton Depression Scale-24 (HAMD-24) and Alcohol Dependence Screening Scale (MAST) were used.The level of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH),free triiodothyronine (FT3),free thyroxine (FT4),triiodothyronine (T3) and four iodine thyroxine (T4) of case group and control group were separately determined.The level of above-mentioned hormones and scale score of case group were evaluated in the first and sixth week of the period of temperance.Data of control group were collected once at baseline.Results The level of FT3 in case group was decreased significantly in the first week of the period of temperance compared with the control group ((4.34± 1.01) pmol/L,(5.85 ± 0.78) pmol/L,t =5.56,P＜ 0.01),while the level of TSH in case group was increased((2.62±0.69) uIU/ml,(1.70±0.81)uIU/ml,t=-3.96,P＜0.01).The level of FT3 and T3 in case group decreased significantly in the sixth week of the period of temperance comparedwith the control group(FT3(5.22±0.92) pmol/L,(5.85±0.78) pmol/L,t=2.45,P＜ 0.05;T3(1.54±0.54)pmol/L,(1.84±0.34)pmol/L,t=2.92,P＜0.01).The level of FT3 of the case group in the first week decreased significantly compared with the sixth week in the period of temperance (t=-4.12,P＜0.01),while the level of FT4 were increased significantly (t=-3.93,P＜0.01).In case group,the scores of HAMD-24 and the level of T3 (r=-0.465,P＜0.05),TSH (r=-0.489,P＜0.05) were negative correlation in the first week of the period of temperance.No correlation were observed between the score of HAMD-24 and the level of FT3,FT4,TSH,T3,T4 (r=-0.303-0.047,all P＞ 0.05)in the sixth week of the period of temperance.Conclusion The level of serum thyroid is disordered in patients with chronic alcohol dependence.The disorder will recover in the period of temperance and is associated with depressive emotion.