Features of Inflammatory Response in Juvenile Depression with Attenuated Symptoms of Schizophrenic Spectrum

Abstract

Background: early nosological qualification of juvenile depression and detection in its structure of specific phenomena of schizophrenic spectrum makes it possible to identify the onset of an endogenous process and to provide timely therapeutic intervention. This becomes possible using an integrated approach based on a psychopathological assessment of patients and the determination of individual immunological indicators of blood. The objective: to determine the inflammation markers in patients with juvenile depression with attenuated symptoms of schizophrenic spectrum (ASSS) in relation to features of their clinical manifestation and response to therapy. Patients and methods: 50 patients aged 16 to 25 years with fi rst depressive episode with ASSS (F32.1, F32.2, F32.28, F32.8), of which 26 patients with attenuated psychotic symptoms (APS) and 24 ones with attenuated negative symptoms (ANS). The control group consisted of 19 mentally healthy volunteers. The leukocyte elastase (LE) and D1-proteinase inhibitor (D1-PI) activity and the level of autoantibodies (AB) to S100E and MBP were measured in blood plasma. The ratio of LE to D1-PI activity was defined as a leukocyte-inhibitory index (LII). Clinical and psychometric assessment (HDRS, SOPS, SANS scales) as well as immunological examination were carried out at admission to the hospital and at discharge. Results: the differences revealed in profiles of immunological parameters in patients with juvenile depression with ASSS reflect the different variants of the inflammatory response to pathological process. Regardless of the identified clinical group, only 24% of patients were characterized by a balanced immune response. The inflammatory response in 76% of cases was accompanied by varying degrees of insufficiency of neutrophils functional activity and an increase in D1-PI activity, i.e. reduced LII. In 44% of cases, a decrease in LII was also accompanied by an increase in the level of AB to S100E. The relationship between immunological profiles and clinical severity of depression with APS and ANS was confirmed. The patients with balanced immune response without an autoimmune component have the best therapeutic response. Conclusions: the results extend the concepts of the pathogenetic mechanisms of juvenile depression with ASSS and indicate various variants of inflammatory response associated with this pathological condition. Immunological analysis complements the clinical examination of patients in terms of assessing the severity of condition, prediction of the disease course and response to therapy.