Heterogeneous early illness courses of Korean patients with bipolar disorders: replication of the staging model.

BACKGROUND: Clinical staging of bipolar disorder (BD) requires application of real-world data, as the next step in hypothesis. This study used the staging model to analyze the long-term course of BD in Korean patients based on clinical features and treatment responses to map the progression of bipolar illness from its early phase after the onset of illness. METHODS: A total of 136 patients diagnosed with BD-I (n = 62) or BD-II (n = 74) were recruited. Their progressive stages were retrospectively evaluated. A multi-state model was used to calculate the probability of progression to each stage. Hazard ratios of covariates expected to influence different courses of BD were calculated. Using the Alda score, long-term responses to mood stabilizers depending on the current stage were compared. RESULTS: Several sub-populations showed varied courses during the first five years after the onset of illness, with 41.5% remaining in stage 2 and 53% progressing to higher stages with shortened time for transition. Profiles of patients with BD-I and BD-II were different, suggesting biologically distinct groups. Comorbid psychiatric disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and bulimia nervosa (BN) were associated with a recurrent course (stage 3a or 3b) or a malignant course (stage 3c or 4). Early age of onset, shorter duration of illness, older age at the start of medication, and poor response to lithium affected the illness progression. CONCLUSION: We were able to apply the stage model based on episode recurrence patterns in early illness courses of Korean patients with BD. The stage progression pattern differed from the early phase in BD-I and BD-II patients. Psychotic comorbidity, age at onset, age at starting psychiatric treatment showed associations with the illness progression.

Estimated glomerular filtration rate in Korean patients exposed to long-term lithium maintenance therapy.

BACKGROUND: Lithium-induced nephrotoxicity has long been debated. However, it has been rarely explored in Asian populations. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of lithium maintenance therapy on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in Korean patients diagnosed with a psychiatric illness. METHODS: This was a single-centered, retrospective study that included patients treated with lithium or comparator drug (valproate) in Samsung Seoul Medical Center between November 1994 and July 2020. Patients diagnosed with ICD codes F20-33 who had ≥ 6 months of exposure to lithium or valproate were included. Patients had to have ≥ 1 baseline and ≥ 2 post-baseline eGFR data with post-baseline data having an interval of at least 30 days. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) was defined as CKD stage 3 (eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.732). To be considered as CKD, the threshold had to be met at two consecutive post-baseline measurements. Those treated with both lithium and valproate, diagnosed with CKD stages 3-5, diagnosed with a renal disease, or received kidney transplantation were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 766 patients were included (242 treated with lithium and 524 with valproate). Two (0.8%) in the lithium group and 8 (1.5%) in the valproate group developed CKD stage 3. None developed CKD stages 4-5. Median yearly eGFR change was - 1.3 mL/min/1.732 (IQR: - 6.8, 1.7) for the lithium group and - 1.1 mL/min/1.732 (IQR: - 4.5, 1.5) for the valproate group, showing no significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.389). The rate of decline was more rapid for those with CKD in both groups. eGFR values of lithium and valproate groups did not show significant differences during a follow-up duration of 15 years or more. A significant negative correlation between baseline eGFR and yearly eGFR change was identified in a linear regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In Korean patients, treatment with lithium did not increase the risk of developing CKD compared to treatment with valproate. Prevalence of CKD was lower than those previously reported in western populations. Low baseline eGFR showed significant correlation with changes in renal function.

Comparison of Patterns of Non-suicidal Self-Injury and Emotion Dysregulation Across Mood Disorder Subtypes.

Introduction: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is frequently encountered in patients with mood disorders. Emotion dysregulation (ED), frequently observed in mood disorders, could be a major mediating factor in NSSI. The aim of this study was to explore differences in NSSI behavior and ED across mood disorder subtypes. The relationships between childhood trauma and NSSI and ED were also explored. Methods: A total of 191 patients with mood disorders were included in this study. The patterns of NSSI behavior and ED across patients with bipolar I disorder (BD-I), bipolar II disorder (BD-II), and major depressive disorder (MDD) were compared. Results: More than half (54%) of the subjects experienced NSSI. Patients with BD-II and MDD engaged in NSSI behavior more frequently than those diagnosed with BD-I. NSSI behaviors in patients with BD-II most commonly included cutting, whereas hitting behaviors were most common among other groups. Patients with BD-II and MDD reported more severe ED than those with BD-I. In the case of childhood trauma, those with BD-II and MDD reported greater emotional neglect than those with BD-I. Structural equation modeling revealed that ED mediated the association between childhood trauma and NSSI. Conclusion: BD-I was associated with less frequent NSSI behavior and less severe ED than BD-II and MDD. ED mediated the association between childhood trauma and NSSI. Promoting emotion regulation strategies could prevent NSSI behavior in patients with mood disorders.

Dissecting the genetic architecture of suicide attempt and repeated attempts in Korean patients with bipolar disorder using polygenic risk scores.

BACKGROUND: Bipolar disorder (BD) has the greatest suicide risk among mental and physical disorders. A recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) of European ancestry (EUR) samples revealed that the genetic etiology of suicide attempt (SA) was not only polygenic but also, in part, diagnosis-specific. The authors aimed to examine whether the polygenic risk score (PRS) for SA derived from that study is associated with SA or repeated attempts in Korean patients with BD. This study also investigated the shared heritability of SA and mental disorders which showed an increased risk of SA and a high genetic correlation with BD. METHODS: The study participants were 383 patients with BD. The history of SA was assessed on a lifetime basis. PRSs for reference disorders were calculated using the aforementioned GWAS data for SA and the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium data of BD, schizophrenia, major depressive disorder (MDD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). RESULTS: The PRS for SA was significantly associated with lifetime SA in the current subjects (Nagelkerke's R2 = 2.73%, odds ratio [OR] = 1.36, p = 0.007). Among other PRSs, only the PRS for OCD was significantly associated with lifetime SA (Nagelkerke's R2 = 2.72%, OR = 1.36, p = 0.007). The PRS for OCD was higher in multiple attempters than in single attempters (Nagelkerke's R2 = 4.91%, OR = 1.53, p = 0.043). CONCLUSION: The PRS for SA derived from EUR data was generalized to SA in Korean patients with BD. The PRS for OCD seemed to affect repeated attempts. Genetic studies on suicide could benefit from focusing on specific psychiatric diagnoses and refined sub-phenotypes, as well as from utilizing multiple PRSs for related disorders.

Factors associated with quality of life in patients with depression: A nationwide population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Depression, one of the most costly and common mental disorders, is reported to be associated with lower quality of life (QoL) in several studies. Improved understanding of the associated factors with QoL is necessary to optimize long-term outcomes and reduce disability in patients with depression. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify factors that are associated with lower QoL among patients with depression. METHODS: The study was based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a cross-sectional health examination, years 2008 to 2014. The final analyzed sample consisted of a total of 1,502 study subjects who had been diagnosed by clinicians as having depression. A multivariate logistic regression model was performed to exam the association between the clinical characteristics (age, sex, demographic and health-related characteristics) and QoL. Analysis of covariance was also used to analyze EQ-5D according to mental health. RESULTS: Older age, lower level of education, lower income, worse subjective perception of health, unemployment, obesity and mental health struggles were found to be significantly associated with low QoL in depressive individuals after adjustment for multiple covariates. CONCLUSIONS: This study has outlined grounding data in identifying patients who are at risk of QoL impairment. Policy makers should direct their interests to these individuals and provide appropriate management.

Glomerular Filtration Rate and Urine Albumin to Creatinine Ratio Associated With Hearing Impairment Among Korean Adults With Diabetes: A Nationwide Population-Based Study.

The objective of this study was to examine the association of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urine albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) with hearing impairment among diabetic adults in Korea. The study was based on data from Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011 to 2012. Participants were 1206 diabetic adults, aged over 19 years, who completed audiometric testing supervised by nationally certified clinicians. Hearing impairment was defined in three grades: no hearing impairment (pure-tone average 0-25 dB), slight hearing impairment (26-40 dB), and disabling hearing impairment (>40 dB) in the better ear at frequencies 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 kHz. Using logistic regression, risk of hearing impairment was assessed after having controlled for confounding factors. Higher levels of ACR and lower levels of eGFR correlated with an increase in percentage of disabling hearing impairment both unilaterally and bilaterally (P < 0.001). Controlling for possible confounding covariates, odds ratios for hearing impairment showed tendency to increase in higher ACR groups (P for trend = 0.029). Similar pattern was examined between eGFR and hearing impairment (P for trend = 0.006). Odds ratios were 1.981 (1.146, 3.424) for ACR Q4 and 2.773 (1.286, 5.983) for eGFR < 60 mL/min. Fall in eGFR and rise in ACR correlated with severity of hearing impairment. The association existed independently of age, sex, body mass index (BMI), smoking, drinking, exercise, new onset of diabetes, education, income, mental stress, noise exposure, and metabolic syndrome.