Acta clinica Croatica, Vol. 40 No. 3, 2001.
Original scientific paper
Can Long-Term Major Depressive Disorder Cause Osteoporosis?
Milan Vrkljan
Branka Vizner
Marijo Bekić
Vlatko Thaller
Zdenko Sonicki
Abstract
A marked clinical, physiologic, and biochemical connection between osteoporosis and major depressive disorder (MDD) is described. There are numerous states and diseases associated with osteoporosis. The aim of the study was to assess the presumed association between hypercortisolism and osteoporosis. Some recent studies provided evidence for association between previous history of MDD and marked osteoporosis. In MDD, there are two well documented biochemical abnormalities, hypercortisolism and its resistance to dexamethasone suppression. The present study included 31 MDD patients (19 male and 12 female), mean age 37±1.3, age range 29-41 years, and 17 healthy male volunteers mean age 39±1.6, age range 34-45 years. The levels of free cortisol in 24-h urine, serum cortisol at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., and cortisol in dexamethasone suppression test as well as bone mineral density were measured in all study subjects. The results obtained were analyzed by use of Spearman's nonparametric rank correlation, rho=-0.805, with a statistical significance level of p<0.01 (2-tailed). Study results suggested that patients with a long-term history of depression may develop a severe form of osteoporosis. Also, a severe form of osteoporosis has been known to develop in patients with untreated Cushing's syndrome.
Keywords
Osteoporosis, etiology; Depressive disorder, physiopathology; Bone and bone metabolism
Hrčak ID:
14866
URI
Publication date:
3.9.2001.
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