The effects of psychiatric treatment on depression, anxiety, quality of life, and sexual dysfunction in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

OBJECTIVE: Depression and anxiety are common disorders in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our aim is to prospectively determine the effect of psychiatric treatment on scores for depression, anxiety, quality of life (QoL), and sexual dysfunction in an outpatient population diagnosed with IBD and also anxiety and/or depression disorder. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who scored higher than the cutoff point on the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale were referred for further structured psychiatric evaluation and determination of the need for psychiatric drug treatment. Patients who underwent drug therapy completed Short Form-36 (SF-36) and the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale at baseline and after 6 months of follow-up. RESULTS: Major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder were the most common diagnoses. After 6 months, 47 patients had completely adhered to drug treatment (group A), whereas 20 were nonadherent (group B). In group A, all domains of SF-36, Arizona Sexual Experience Scale, depression/anxiety scores, and Crohn's disease activity index were statistically improved after treatment when compared with the baseline. In group B, the three domains of SF-36, platelet count, and mean corpuscular volume were worse between baseline and at 6 months. CONCLUSION: In IBD patients having any psychiatric disorder, 6 months of antidepressant drug treatment is associated with an improvement in depression, anxiety, QoL, and sexual functioning scores, as well as an improvement in Crohn's disease activity index. On the other hand, insufficient psychiatric treatment seems to be related to a poor QoL.

The association of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio with presence and severity of obstructive sleep apnea.

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by reductions in breathing amplitude during sleep caused by an obstructed or collapsed upper airway. The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been proposed as a novel biomarker for systemic inflammatory response. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between NLR and OSA. METHODS: The study population consisted of 195 consecutive patients with clinical suspicion of OSA. Full night polysomnography was performed for all patients. Patients with an apnea hypopnea index (AHI) ≥ 5 were considered to have OSA. NLR was calculated as the ratio of neutrophil count to lymphocyte count. RESULTS: While 130 patients (91 male, mean age: 49.9±9.8 years) had OSA, 65 patients (42 male, mean age: 48.7 ± 10.2 years) had normal findings according to AHI scores. Cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus and smoking were more common in patients with OSA. Patients with OSA had significantly higher NLR than controls (1.87±0.80 vs 1.49±0.48, p=0.005). AHI score was significantly correlated with NLR (r=0.228, p=0.001). NLR and presence of hyperlipidemia were independent predictors of OSA (OR: 2.451, 2.850, p=0.001, 0.004, respectively). NLR of 1.62 or higher predicted OSA with a sensitivity of 56.2 % and specificity of 63.1 %. CONCLUSIONS: NLR was higher and also correlated with AHI score in patients with OSA which has not been reported previously. NLR more than 1.62 was an independent predictor of OSA. A simple, cheap white blood cell count may also give an idea about the presence and severity of OSA (Tab. 3, Fig. 3, Ref. 30).

Plasma oxytocin levels are reduced in Slovak autistic boys.

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by reductions in breathing amplitude during sleep caused by an obstructed or collapsed upper airway. The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been proposed as a novel biomarker for systemic inflammatory response. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between NLR and OSA. METHODS: The study population consisted of 195 consecutive patients with clinical suspicion of OSA. Full night polysomnography was performed for all patients. Patients with an apnea hypopnea index (AHI) ≥ 5 were considered to have OSA. NLR was calculated as the ratio of neutrophil count to lymphocyte count. RESULTS: While 130 patients (91 male, mean age: 49.9 ± 9.8 years) had OSA, 65 patients (42 male, mean age: 48.7 ± 10.2 years) had normal findings according to AHI scores. Cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus and smoking were more common in patients with OSA. Patients with OSA had significantly higher NLR than controls (1.87 ± 0.80 vs 1.49 ± 0.48, p=0.005). AHI score was significantly correlated with NLR (r=0.228, p=0.001). NLR and presence of hyperlipidemia were independent predictors of OSA (OR: 2.451, 2.850, p=0.001, 0.004, respectively). NLR of 1.62 or higher predicted OSA with a sensitivity of 56.2 % and specificity of 63.1 %. CONCLUSIONS: NLR was higher and also correlated with AHI score in patients with OSA which has not been reported previously. NLR more than 1.62 was an independent predictor of OSA. A simple, cheap white blood cell count may also give an idea about the presence and severity of OSA (Tab. 3, Fig. 3, Ref. 30).