Evaluation of mood disorder questionnaire positivity and associated factors in a population-based screening study

The Mood Disorders Questionnaire (MDQ) is a 3-item scale that is frequently used in bipolar disorders (BD) screening and questions the symptoms of BD, its effect on functionality, and the coexistence of symptoms. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of positive screening of the MDQ among general population and to investigate the associated risk factors. In this cross-sectional study, the sample was randomly selected from household data to represent the city population. A total of 432 participants were asked to fill in MDQ, CAGE (cutting down, annoyance by criticism, guilty feeling, and eye-openers) questionnaire, which consists of four clinical interview questions proven to aid in the diagnosis of alcoholism, and clinical and sociodemographic data form. The Cronbach's alpha value of our current study was 0.813 for MDQ. The prevalence of MDQ positivity was found 7.6%. The estimated prevalence rate of bipolar disorders varied between 0.3 and 13.4% according to different cut-off values. Multivariate logistic regression models showed that the presence of possible alcohol addiction, shift work history, and body mass index (BMI) were statistically significant predictors of MDQ positivity. The prevalence of MDQ positivity found is similar to studies in literature. Keeping in mind that psychometric properties of the MDQ, positive screen results should be cautiously interpreted due to the presence of other risk factors and comorbidities. (AU)

Prevalence of white matter hyperintensities is not elevated in a large sample of adolescents and young adults with bipolar disorder

Objective: The increased prevalence rate of white matter hyperintensities is one of the most consistently reported brain abnormalities in adults with bipolar disorder. However, findings in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder are less consistent. Prior studies have been constrained by small sample sizes and/or poor age- and sex-matching of healthy controls. We examined this topic in the largest sample of adolescents with bipolar disorder to date. Methods: T2-weighted 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired for 83 adolescents with bipolar disorder diagnosed via the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and the Schizophrenia, Present and Lifetime version semi-structured interview and 64 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. All acquired scans were examined by neuroradiologists and the presence or absence of white matter hyperintensities was determined for each participant. Results: The prevalence of white matter hyperintensities did not differ between adolescents with bipolar disorder (13.3%) and controls (21.9%; χ2 = 1.90; p = 0.168). Conclusion: In contrast to the study hypothesis, the prevalence of white matter hyperintensities was not higher in adolescents with bipolar disorder than controls. The large sample size and good matching for age and sex bolster the reliability of this negative finding. Future studies are warranted to evaluate the prevalence, incidence, and predictors of white matter hyperintensities in early-onset bipolar disorder prospectively.

Pain in the bipolar disorder: prevalence, characteristics and relationship with suicide risk / Dor no transtorno bipolar: prevalência, características e relação com risco de suicídio / Dolor en el trastorno bipolar: prevalencia, características y relación con el riesgo de suicidio

Objective: to know the prevalence and characteristics of pain, to verify how pain management has been carried out by the health services, and to correlate suicide risk with pain intensity in patients with bipolar disorder. Method: an observational study with a quantitative approach. The study included people with bipolar disorder assessed by the McGill-Reduced Pain Questionnaire, Body Diagram, Visual Numerical Scale, and the Suicidal Ideation Scale (Beck). Results: the sample of 60 participants was mainly composed of women with a mean age of 40 years old and a mean psychiatric treatment time of approximately 13 years. Of these, 83% reported feeling pain at the time of the interview. Half of the participants indicated that pain interferes with routine and 80% did not receive care in health institutions. The main descriptors that qualify the painful experience were as follows: painful, heavy and sensitive for the sensory descriptors, tiring and punishing in the affective category. Suicide attempt was reported by 57% of the participants. There was a correlation between suicide risk and pain intensity. Conclusion: pain presented a high prevalence. Suicide risk was identified in more than half of the participants. Pain intensity showed a significant correlation with suicide risk.

Objetivo: conhecer a prevalência e características da dor, verificar como o manejo da dor tem sido realizado pelos serviços de saúde e correlacionar o risco de suicídio com a intensidade da dor dos pacientes com transtorno bipolar. Método: estudo observacional com abordagem quantitativa. Participaram do estudo pessoas com transtorno bipolar avaliadas pelo Questionário de Dor McGill-reduzido, Diagrama Corporal, Escala Visual Numérica e a Escala de Ideação Suicida (Beck). Resultados: A amostra de 60 participantes foi composta principalmente por mulheres com idade média de 40 anos e tempo médio de tratamento psiquiátrico aproximado de 13 anos. Desses, 83% relataram sentir dor no momento da entrevista. Metade dos participantes indicou que a dor atrapalha a rotina e 80% não receberam cuidado nos equipamentos de saúde. Os principais descritores que qualificam a experiência dolorosa foram: dolorida, em peso e sensível para os descritores sensoriais, cansativo e castigante na categoria afetiva. A tentativa de suicídio foi relatada por 57% dos participantes. Foi observada correlação entre o risco de suicídio e a intensidade da dor. Conclusão: a dor apresentou prevalência elevada. O risco de suicídio foi identificado em mais da metade dos participantes. A intensidade da dor apresentou correlação significativa com o risco de suicídio.

Objetivo: conocer la prevalencia y las características del dolor, verificar cómo se ha realizado el manejo del dolor por parte de los servicios de salud y correlacionar el riesgo de suicidio con la intensidad del dolor en pacientes con trastorno bipolar. Método: se trata de un estudio observacional con abordaje cuantitativo. El estudio incluyó a personas con trastorno bipolar evaluadas mediante el Cuestionario de dolor de McGill - versión abreviada, el Diagrama Corporal, la Escala Visual Numérica y la Escala de Ideación Suicida (Beck). Resultados: la muestra de 60 participantes estuvo compuesta principalmente por mujeres con una edad promedio de 40 años y un tiempo promedio de tratamiento psiquiátrico de aproximadamente 13 años. El 83% de ellos manifestó sentir dolor en el momento de la entrevista. La mitad de los participantes indicó que el dolor interfiere en la rutina y el 80% no recibió atención en equipos de salud. Los principales descriptores que califican la experiencia dolorosa fueron: doloroso, pesadez y sensibilidad para los descriptores sensoriales, agotador y castigador en la categoría afectiva. El 57% de los participantes informó intento de suicidio. Se observó una correlación entre el riesgo de suicidio y la intensidad del dolor. Conclusión: el dolor tuvo una alta prevalencia. El riesgo de suicidio se identificó en más de la mitad de los participantes. La intensidad del dolor se correlacionó significativamente con el riesgo de suicidio.

How to prevent the malignant progression of bipolar disorder

There is increasing recognition that, in a high percentage of cases, bipolar disorder is a progressive illness. Multiple types of sensitization (or increased reactivity to repetition of the same stimulus) drive illness progression. One of the clearest is that of episode sensitization, where increased numbers of prior episodes are associated with: faster recurrences; more dysfunction; disability; social, educational, and employment deficits; suicide; medical comorbidities; cognitive dysfunction; and an increased incidence of dementia in old age. Repetition of stressors and bouts of substance abuse can also result in sensitization. Each type of sensitization appears to have an epigenetic basis, such that preventing sensitization should minimize the accumulation of adverse epigenetic chemical marks on DNA, histones, and microRNA. New data emphasize the importance of early, consistent intervention after an initial manic episode. The cognitive dysfunction associated with a first episode improves only if there are no further episode recurrences during the next year. A randomized study has also shown that comprehensive multimodal prophylactic intervention for 2 years leads to improvements in illness course extending over a total of 6 years. Intensive treatment of the earliest stages of bipolar disorder can thus exert lasting positive effects on the course of illness.

Impact of metabolic syndrome and clinical features on functioning in patients with bipolar disorder: a cross-sectional study

Objective: The metabolic syndrome (MS) is highly prevalent among patients with bipolar disorder (BD), and may affect progression, functioning, and comorbid conditions in BD. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of clinical variables and MS on overall functioning and specific areas of functioning in patients with BD. Methods: A total of 210 participants (140 participants with BD I and BD II in remission and 70 non-psychiatric control subjects) were included. The investigators administered the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), the Bipolar Depression Rating Scale (BDRS), the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF), and the Bipolar Disorder Functioning Scale (BDFS). The participants completed the Beck Depression Scale (BDS) and the Beck Anxiety Scale (BAS). MS was diagnosed according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) criteria. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to investigate potential correlations of comorbid MS with clinical variables and level of functioning. Results: Level of functioning did not differ between patients with and without MS. However, there were significant correlations between the level of functioning subscales and the number of depressive episodes (p = 0.033), level of general functioning (p = 0.012), duration of illness (p = 0.012), BDS (p = 0.005), BDRS (p = 0.021), BAS total scores (p = 0.021), number of hypomanic episodes (p = 0.022), number of hospitalizations (p = 0.003), employment status (p = 0.032), and diagnosis of BD I (p = 0.007) and BD II (p = 0.044). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that clinical variables had a greater effect on functioning than MS in BD patients.

Childhood trauma and bipolar spectrum: a population-based sample of young adults

Abstract Introduction Childhood trauma has been suggested to be involved in susceptibility to bipolar disorder (BP). However, it remains unclear whether the occurrence of childhood trauma is differently distributed in subthreshold bipolar disorder (SBP). Objective To assess childhood trauma in young adults with SBP, as compared to young adults with BP and population controls (PC). Method This was a cross-sectional, population-based study. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) was used to define the groups with BP (subjects with a lifetime or current manic episode or lifetime or current hypomania with a history of a depressive episode), SBP (subjects with a history of hypomanic episode without lifetime or current depressive episode), and subjects without mood disorders (PC). Childhood trauma was assessed using de Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). We investigated differences regarding childhood trauma across the three groups (BP, SBP and PC). Result Except for sexual abuse, all subtypes of childhood trauma remained associated with the BP group as compared to PC. Additionally, when we compared SBP and BP, significant differences were found only for emotional abuse. No significant differences were found in relation to childhood trauma between the SBP and PC groups after adjusting for confounding factors. Conclusion These findings suggest that investigating childhood trauma, with a particular focus on emotional abuse, could be considered a preventive measure and potentially improve the prognosis.

Trastornos afectivos y salud física, implicaciones de la comorbilidad con enfermedades médicas: una revisión de la literatura / Affective disorders and physical health, implications of comorbid medical conditions: a non-systematic review

INTRODUCCIÓN La comorbilidad médica en pacientes con trastornos del estado de ánimo tiende a convertirse en un problema de salud pública clínica y global cada vez más importante. Varias patologías médicas específicas están asociadas con un mayor riesgo de padecer trastornos del estado de ánimo y, por otra parte, los trastornos del estado de ánimo están asociados con un aumento de la morbilidad y mortalidad debidas a condiciones médicas comórbidas. En este artículo se revisan las comorbilidades médicas que más comúnmente se asocian a los trastornos afectivos (enfermedades cardiovasculares, obesidad y síndrome metabólico) examinando sus posibles implicaciones bidireccionales. MÉTODOS Se ha realizado una revisión no sistemática y búsqueda de la literatura científica sobre la asociación entre las tres enfermedades médicas más frecuentes en trastorno depresivo mayor y trastorno bipolar (enfermedades cardiovasculares, obesidad, síndrome metabólico) entre enero de 1995 y noviembre de 2019. RESULTADOS La evidencia sugiere que la comorbilidad entre estas tres enfermedades médicas y los trastornos del estado de ánimo es muy frecuente; la presencia de las primeras empeora significativamente el pronóstico y el manejo terapéutico de las segundas y viceversa, comparten mecanismos fisiopatológicos e implican una etiología aparentemente bidireccional. CONCLUSIONES La presencia de estas enfermedades médicas concurrentes en un individuo con un trastorno del estado de ánimo se asocia con una presentación de enfermedad más compleja. En muchos casos, estas comorbilidades pueden preceder a la aparición de los trastornos del estado de ánimo, aunque en la mayoría de los casos parecen seguir a la aparición de los trastornos del estado de ánimo. Para los profesionales, la evidencia apoya inequívocamente las recomendaciones para la vigilancia rutinaria de las comorbilidades según un enfoque multidisciplinar.

INTRODUCTION Medical comorbidity in patients with mood disorders tends to become an increasingly important clinical and global public health problem. On one hand, several specific medical pathologies are associated with an increased risk of mood disorders and on the other hand, mood disorders are associated with increased morbidity and mortality due to comorbid medical conditions. This article reviews the medical comorbidities that are most commonly associated with affective disorders (cardiovascular diseases, obesity and metabolic syndrome) examining their possible bidirectional implications. METHODS A non-systematic review about the association between the three most common medical diseases in major depressive disorder and bipolar affective disorder (cardiovascular diseases, obesity, metabolic syndrome) has been carried out from January 1995 to November 2019. RESULTS The evidence suggests that comorbidity between these three medical diseases and mood disorders is very prevalent. The presence of medical disease significantly worsens the prognosis and therapeutic management of the mood disorders and vice versa. In many cases, these comorbidities may precede the onset of mood disorders, although in most cases they appear to follow the onset of mood disorders. CONCLUSIONS the presence of these concurrent medical diseases in an individual with a mood disorder is associated with a more complex disease presentation. For professionals, the evidence unequivocally supports recommendations for routine surveillance of comorbidities according to a multidisciplinary approach.

Megacities, migration and an evolutionary approach to bipolar disorder: a study of Sardinian immigrants in Latin America

Objective: To determine whether people with a Sardinian genetic background who live in the megacities of South America have a higher frequency of hypomania than residents of Sardinia. Methods: A community survey of Sardinian immigrants was carried out in four Brazilian metropoles (n=218) and Buenos Aires (n=306). The results were compared with those of a study involving a similar methodology (Mood Disorder Questionnaire [MDQ] as a screening tool) conducted in seven Italian regions, including a sub-sample from Sardinia. Results: There was a higher prevalence of lifetime hypomania among Sardinians living in the Brazilian metropoles than among those living in Sardinia. This result was also consistent with Sardinian immigrants in Buenos Aires. After stratification by sex and age, the lifetime prevalence of MDQ scores ≥ 8 among Sardinians in South-American megacities and Sardinia was 8.6% vs. 2.9%, respectively (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The higher frequency of hypomania in migrant populations appears to favor an evolutionary view in which mood disorders may be a maladaptive aspect of a genetic background with adaptive characteristics.

Exploratory analysis of polygenic risk scores for psychiatric disorders: Applied to dual diagnosis

Background Concurrence of substance use disorders (SUDs) is high in individuals with psychiatric illnesses; more importantly, individuals with both disorders (dual diagnosis) have more severe symptoms. Psychiatric disorders have been proposed to share a genetic susceptibility with SUDs. To explore this shared genetic susceptibility, we analyzed whether any of the polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for psychiatric disorders could be associated to dual diagnosis in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) or bipolar disorder (BD). Methods We included 192 individuals of Mexican ancestry: 72 with SCZ, 53 with BD, and 67 unrelated controls without psychiatric disorders. We derived calculations of PRS for autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder, BD, major depression, and SCZ using summary genome-wide association statistics previously published. Results We found that dual diagnosis had a shared genetic susceptibility with major depressive disorder (MDD) and SCZ; furthermore, in individuals with BD, dual diagnosis could be predicted by PRS for MDD. Conclusions Our results reinforce the notion that individuals with dual diagnosis have a higher genetic susceptibility to develop both disorders. However, analyses of larger sample sizes are required to further clarify how to predict risks through PRS within different populations.

Trastorno Bipolar. Consideraciones clínicas y epidemiológicas / Bipolar disorder. Clinical and epidemiologic characteristics

RESUMEN El trastorno bipolar es un trastorno crónico y recurrente que se caracteriza por fluctuaciones patológicas del estado del ánimo. Las fases de la enfermedad incluyen episodios hipomaniacos, maniacos y depresivos. Estos episodios interfieren de forma significativa en la vida cotidiana del paciente y en su entorno, con importante repercusión en su salud y calidad de vida. Para los psiquiatras es de suma importancia el diagnóstico precoz de esta enfermedad para proporcionar un tratamiento oportuno a los pacientes, teniendo en cuenta la severidad de los síntomas y las complicaciones a las que lleva esta enfermedad. Ante esta realidad se decidió describir las características generales de este desorden mediante una revisión bibliográfica donde se exponen sus principales manifestaciones clínicas, clasificación, aspectos epidemiológicos, curso de la enfermedad, complicaciones y comorbilidad. Para ello se realizó una revisión de los trabajos más relevantes publicados y con ello contribuir al proceso de educación médica continuada para los profesionales de la salud.

ABSTRACT Bipolar disorder is a chronic and recurrent disorder characterized by pathological fluctuations of the mood states. The stages of the disease include hypomanic, maniac and depressive episodes. These episodes interfere in a significant way in the patient´s daily life and his surroundings, with an important repercussion on his health and life quality. For the psychiatrists, the precocious diagnosis of this disease is very important, in order to provide a timely treatment to patients, taking into account the severity of the symptoms and the complications of this disease. Due to this reality, the authors decided to describe the general characteristics of this disorder through a bibliographic review where they exposed the main clinical manifestations, classification, epidemiological aspects, the course of the disease, complications and co-morbidity. The most relevant published works were reviewed to contribute to the process of continued medical education of the health professionals.

Early trauma, attachment experiences and comorbidities in schizophrenia / Relação entre traumas precoces, experiências de apego e comorbidades na esquizofrenia

Abstract Objective To evaluate attachment patterns in subjects with schizophrenia and their relationships to early traumatic events, psychotic symptoms and comorbidities. Methods Twenty patients diagnosed with schizophrenia according to criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) underwent retrospective symptom assessment and careful assessment of the number and manner of childhood caregiver changes. The Diagnostic Interview for Psychosis and Affective Disorders (DI-PAD) was used to assess symptoms related to schizophrenia (positive and negative symptoms), depression and mania. Anxiety disorder comorbidities were assessed by the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS), Yale-Brown Obsessions and Compulsions Scale (Y-BOCS) and Panic and Schizophrenia Interview (PaSI). Experience in Close Relationships - Relationship Structures (ECR-RS) and Early Trauma Inventory Self Report-Short Form (ETISR-SF) were used to assess attachment patterns and traumatic history, respectively. Results Moderate and significant correlations between attachment patterns and early trauma showed that greater severity of anxious attachment was predicted by a higher frequency of total early traumas (Spearman ρ = 0.446, p = 0.04), mainly general traumas (ρ = 0.526, p = 0.017; including parental illness and separation, as well as natural disaster and serious accidents). Among the correlations between early trauma and comorbid symptoms, panic attacks occurring before the onset of schizophrenia showed significant and positive correlations with ETISR-SF total scores and the sexual trauma subscale. Conclusion Children with an unstable early emotional life are more vulnerable to the development of psychopathology, such as panic anxiety symptoms. Traumatic events may also predict later schizophrenia.

Resumo Objetivos Avaliar o padrão de apego em portadores de esquizofrenia e discutir a relação que tais padrões apresentam com a sintomatologia psicótica e as comorbidades dos pacientes investigados. Métodos Vinte pacientes diagnosticados com esquizofrenia de acordo com os critérios do Manual Diagnóstico e Estatístico de Transtornos Mentais, 5ª edição (DSM-5) foram submetidos a avaliação de sintomas retrospectivos e avaliação cuidadosa do número e modo de mudança de cuidador da infância. A Entrevista Diagnóstica para Psicoses e Transtornos Afetivos (DI-PAD) foi utilizada para avaliar sintomas relacionados à esquizofrenia (sintomas positivos e negativos), depressão e mania. As comorbidades de transtorno de ansiedade foram avaliadas pela Escala de Ansiedade Social de Liebowitz (LSAS), Escala de Sintomas Obsessivo-Compulsivos de Yale-Brown (Y-BOCS) e Entrevista de Pânico e Esquizofrenia (PaSI). Os instrumentos Questionário das Experiências nas Relações Próximas-Estruturas Relacionais (ECR-RS) e Inventário de Autorrelato de Trauma Precoce - Forma Curta (ETISR-SF) foram utilizados para avaliar padrões de apego e histórico traumático, respectivamente. Resultados Foram identificadas correlações significativas entre a ocorrência de traumas precoces e o apego do tipo ansioso. Também foi verificada a relação entre traumas gerais e sintomas de pânico, constatando-se que as crises de pânico antecipam surtos quando predominam sintomas ansiosos, somáticos, alucinações e ideias delirantes. Foi observado que a ocorrência de traumas precoces contribui para o pânico, elevando o risco de episódios psicóticos. Conclusão . Os resultados indicam que as adversidades ambientais na infância estão associadas com o risco de desenvolvimento de esquizofrenia e de outras psicoses mais tarde na vida.

Clinical and familial profile of bipolar disorder with and without obsessive-compulsive disorder: an Indian study / Perfil clínico e familiar do transtorno bipolar com e sem transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo: estudo indiano

Abstract Introduction Comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is common in bipolar disorder (BD). Clinical characteristics, functionality and familial pattern of this comorbidity are largely understudied. Objective To assess clinical profile, familial loading of psychiatric disorders and level of functioning in remitted BD patients who have comorbid OCD and to compare results with those of remitted BD patients without OCD. Methods Remitted BD-I subjects were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders, Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and Family Interview for Genetic Studies (FIGS). BD patients with and without OCD were compared. Group differences were analyzed using the chi-square test and the independent samples t test. Values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results Of the 90 remitted BD-I patients, 35.5% (n=32) had obsessive-compulsive symptoms/OCD. The BD-OCD group showed significantly lower GAF scores, higher rates of suicidal attempts, hospitalizations, manic and depressive episodes compared to the group with BD only (p<0.05). In addition, first and second-degree relatives had higher rates of BD-OCD and OCD, but not of BD. Conclusions BD-OCD is characterized by more severe BD, more dysfunction and higher familial loading of BD-OCD and OCD. Larger studies involving relatives of probands will help to confirm our findings and to delineate nosological status of BD-OCD comorbidity.

Resumo Introdução Transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo (TOC) comórbido é comum no transtorno bipolar (TB). Características clínicas, funcionalidade e história familiar dessa comorbidade são pouco estudadas. Objetivo Avaliar o perfil clínico, a carga familiar de transtornos psiquiátricos e o nível de funcionalidade em pacientes com TB em remissão que apresentam TOC comórbido e comparar os resultados com aqueles obtidos em pacientes com TB em remissão sem TOC. Métodos Indivíduos com TB-I em remissão foram avaliados usando a Entrevista Clínica Estruturada para o DSM-IV- Transtornos do Eixo I, Escala de Avaliação Global do Funcionamento, Escala de Depressão de Hamilton, Escala de Mania de Young, Escala Obsessivo-Compulsiva de Yale-Brown e Entrevista Familiar para Estudos Genéticos. Pacientes com TB com e sem TOC foram comparados. Diferenças entre os grupos foram analisadas usando o teste do qui-quadrado e o teste t para amostras independentes. Valores <0,05 foram considerados estatisticamente significativos. Resultados Dos 90 pacientes com TB-I em remissão, 35,5% (n=32) tinham sintomas obsessivo-compulsivos/TOC. O grupo com TB-TOC mostrou escores significativamente mais baixos na Escala de Avaliação Global do Funcionamento, maiores taxas de tentativas de suicídio, hospitalizações, episódios maníacos e depressivos quando comparado ao grupo com apenas TB (p<0,05). Além disso, familiares de primeiro e segundo grau mostraram maiores níveis de TB-TOC e TOC, mas não de TB. Conclusões TB-TOC se caracteriza por TB de maior gravidade, mais disfunção e maior carga familiar de TB-TOC e TOC. Estudos maiores envolvendo familiares de probandos ajudarão a confirmar nossos achados e a delinear o status nosológico de TB-TOC comórbidos.

An evolutionary approach to mania studying Sardinian immigrants to Argentina

Objective: To ascertain lifetime prevalence of positivity to a screening questionnaire for bipolar disorders (BD) in Sardinian immigrants to Argentina and residents of Sardinia and assess whether such positivity affects quality of life (QoL) in either group. Our hypothesis is that screen positivity for BD may be more frequent in immigrants. Methods: Observational study. Subjects were randomly selected from the membership lists of associations of Sardinian immigrants in Argentina. A study carried out in Sardinia using the same methodology was used for comparison. The Mood Disorder Questionnaire was used to screen for mania/hypomania and the Short-Form Health Survey-12 to measure QoL. Results: A higher prevalence of manic/hypomanic episodes was found in Sardinian immigrants to Argentina (p < 0.0001; odds ratio = 3.0, 95% confidence interval 1.87-4.77). Positivity at screening was associated with a lower QoL both in Sardinian immigrants to Argentina and in residents of Sardinia. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show a higher lifetime prevalence of manic/hypomanic episodes in a general-population sample of individuals who migrated to a foreign country. Our results are in agreement with the hypothesis that hyperactive/novelty-seeking features may represent an adaptive substrate in certain conditions of social change.

Psychiatric and clinical correlates of rapid cycling bipolar disorder: a cross-sectional study

Objective: Rapid cycling (RC) is a feature of bipolar disorder (BD) that has been associated with worse outcome and more severe disability. Our goal was to investigate the association of demographic and clinical factors with RC. Methods: We compared RC and non-rapid cycling (NRC) BD patients from the Brazilian Research Network in Bipolar Disorder (BRN-BD) regarding age at onset of BD; total number of episodes; previous number of manic, depressive, mixed, and hypomanic episodes; polarity of the first episode; gender; number of suicide attempts; number of lifetime hospitalizations and lifetime history of at least one hospitalization; family history of mood disorder; clinical comorbidities such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, seizures; and current use of medications such as lithium, anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, and antidepressants. Results: We studied 577 patients and found that 100 (17.3%) met the criteria for RC in the year before the investigation. RC patients had earlier age at onset, longer duration of disease, more lifetime depressive and manic episodes, higher number of suicide attempts, and higher rate antidepressant use. Conclusion: The presence of RC in the previous year was associated with specific clinical characteristics closely related to worse outcome in the course of BD.

Bipolar disorder prevalence: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature

Objective: Bipolar disorder (BD) is common in clinical psychiatric practice, and several studies have estimated its prevalence to range from 0.5 to 5% in community-based samples. However, no systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of BD type 1 and type 2 has been published in the literature. We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of the lifetime and 1-year prevalence of BD type 1 and type 2 and assessed whether the prevalence of BD changed according to the diagnostic criteria adopted (DSM-III, DSM-III-R vs. DSM-IV). Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and the reference lists of identified studies. The analyses included 25 population- or community-based studies and 276,221 participants. Results: The pooled lifetime prevalence of BD type 1 was 1.06% (95% confidence interval [95%CI] 0.81-1.31) and that of BD type 2 was 1.57% (95%CI 1.15-1.99). The pooled 1-year prevalence was 0.71% (95%CI 0.56-0.86) for BD type 1 and 0.50% (95%CI 0.35-0.64) for BD type 2. Subgroup analysis showed a significantly higher lifetime prevalence of BD type 1 according to the DSM-IV criteria compared to the DSM-III and DSM-IIIR criteria (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This meta-analysis confirms that estimates of BD type 1 and type 2 prevalence are low in the general population. The increase in prevalence from DSM-III and DSM-III-R to DSM-IV may reflect different factors, such as minor changes in diagnostic operationalization, use of different assessment instruments, or even a genuine increase in the prevalence of BD. .

I Brazilian Registry of Heart Failure - Clinical Aspects, Care Quality and Hospitalization Outcomes / I Registro Brasileiro de Insuficiência Cardíaca – Aspectos Clínicos, Qualidade Assistencial e Desfechos Hospitalares

Background: Heart failure (HF) is one of the leading causes of hospitalization in adults in Brazil. However, most of the available data is limited to unicenter registries. The BREATHE registry is the first to include a large sample of hospitalized patients with decompensated HF from different regions in Brazil. Objective: Describe the clinical characteristics, treatment and prognosis of hospitalized patients admitted with acute HF. Methods: Observational registry study with longitudinal follow-up. The eligibility criteria included patients older than 18 years with a definitive diagnosis of HF, admitted to public or private hospitals. Assessed outcomes included the causes of decompensation, use of medications, care quality indicators, hemodynamic profile and intrahospital events. Results: A total of 1,263 patients (64±16 years, 60% women) were included from 51 centers from different regions in Brazil. The most common comorbidities were hypertension (70.8%), dyslipidemia (36.7%) and diabetes (34%). Around 40% of the patients had normal left ventricular systolic function and most were admitted with a wet-warm clinical-hemodynamic profile. Vasodilators and intravenous inotropes were used in less than 15% of the studied cohort. Care quality indicators based on hospital discharge recommendations were reached in less than 65% of the patients. Intrahospital mortality affected 12.6% of all patients included. Conclusion: The BREATHE study demonstrated the high intrahospital mortality of patients admitted with acute HF in Brazil, in addition to the low rate of prescription of drugs based on evidence. .

Fundamento: A insuficiência cardíaca (IC) é uma das principais causas de hospitalização em adultos no Brasil, no entanto a maioria dos dados disponíveis é limitada a registros unicêntricos. O registro BREATHE é o primeiro a incluir uma ampla amostra de pacientes hospitalizados com IC descompensada de diferentes regiões do Brasil. Objetivo: Descrever as características clínicas, tratamento e prognóstico intra-hospitalar de pacientes admitidos com IC aguda. Métodos: Estudo observacional tipo registro, com seguimento longitudinal. Os critérios de elegibilidade incluíram pacientes acima de 18 anos com diagnóstico definitivo de IC, admitidos em hospitais públicos ou privados. Os desfechos avaliados incluíram causas de descompensação, uso de medicações, indicadores de qualidade assistencial, perfil hemodinâmico e eventos intra-hospitalares. Resultados: O total de 1.263 pacientes (64 ± 16 anos, 60% mulheres) foi incluído a partir de 51 centros de diferentes regiões do Brasil. As comorbidades mais comuns foram hipertensão arterial (70,8%), dislipidemia (36,7%) e diabetes (34%). Em torno de 40% dos pacientes apresentavam função sistólica do ventrículo esquerdo normal e a maioria foi admitida com perfil clínico-hemodinâmico quente-úmido. Vasodilatadores e inotrópicos endovenosos foram administrados a menos de 15% da amostra estudada. Indicadores de qualidade assistencial baseados nas orientações de alta hospitalar foram atingidos em menos de 65% dos pacientes. A mortalidade intra-hospitalar afetou 12,6% do total dos pacientes incluídos. Conclusão: O estudo BREATHE demonstrou a alta mortalidade intra-hospitalar dos pacientes admitidos com IC aguda no Brasil, somada à baixa taxa de prescrição de medicamentos baseados em evidências. .

Riesgo de trastorno bipolar en estudiantes universitarios con sintomatología depresiva elevada / [Risk of bipolar disorder of universitary students with high depressive symptomatology].

INTRODUCTION: This research aims to determine if there is a relation between high depressive symptoms and the risk of suffering from bipolar disorder in university students, as well as describing demographic variables and career preferences association with these variables. METHODS: A self-survey was carried out with 823 students who were asked to fill out the Beck Depression Inventory and the Bipolar Spectrum Disorder Scale. RESULTS: 12.7

of the population showed symptoms related to clinical depression while 1.9

presented either moderated or high bipolar disorder risk. The 22.4

of those who suffered from clinical depression showed high and moderated bipolar disorder risk. The 43.8

of those who showed high probability of suffering from bipolar disorder risk received psychopharmacological treatment and 87.5

of them were studying an artistic career. CONCLUSION: The percentage of college students at high risk of bipolar disorder is similar to what have been found in the international literature. In people with high levels of depression symptomatology the risk increases being one in four of them at risk for bipolar disorder.