The effect of gender on the clinical features and therapeutic response in obsessive-compulsive disorder

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the existence of clinical and therapeutic differences that could possibly characterize specific subgroups of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) based on their gender. METHODS: Male (n=32) and female patients with OCD (n=37) were compared with regard to age and mode of onset, duration and course of the illness, number of obsessions and compulsions, and subtype of OCD according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition. The groups were also compared with regard to scores on the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale, Clinical Global Impression, Beck Depression Inventory and Global Assessment of Functioning, before and after drug treatment for 10 weeks. Chi-square test with Yates correction or Fisher's exact test were employed for comparisons between categorical variables and Student's t or Mann-Whitney tests were used to compare continuous variables. The adopted level of significance was 5 percent. RESULTS: Male patients with OCD were characterized by an earlier age of onset and greater global severity. Furthermore, a trend to display greater number of obsessions and compulsions and worse global functioning was found among male patients, whereas a trend to more severe depressive symptoms was observed in female patients. No significant differences between the groups were found with regard to treatment response. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that there may be OCD subtypes based on gender