Abstract
Depression is recognized as one of the major mental illnesses. It often coexists with obesity, insulin resistance and related dietary conditions. There are many underlying causes of these conditions and one of them can be pharmacotherapy, used to treat depression. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of pharmacotherapy on body composition of patients suffering from depression and the quantity and quality of food consumed by these individuals. This study involved 107 depressed patients, 32 of which were men treated with SSRI’s and SNRI’s and 75 were women treated with SNRI’s, NaSSA’s and SSRI’s. The test group was divided according to gender and the type of pharmacotherapy. The control group included 42 men and 62 women without any psychiatric treatment. All participants completed a questionnaire concerning their current diet and relevant medical history. Body composition was analysed using the BIA method. Data were analysed using Chi squared, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis tests and Spearman's rank correlation, where appropriate. Evaluation of the diet of depressed patients did not show any significant deviation from the recommended norms for consumption and the diet of the control group. However, in the group of men, BMI levels, waist circumference and SAT fatty tissue content depended on the calorific content of the diet and nutrient supply which correlated with SNRI treatment. In the group of women, treatment had little effect on calorific content of the chosen diet and nutrient intake, although significant differences in body composition were found, mainly among patients treated with NaSSA. Increased content of adipose tissue or higher BMI in men treated with SSRI’s may suggest that pharmacotherapy has a significant impact on the development of obesity and its complications in depressed individuals.
Highlights
Depression is one of the main mental illnesses and is of worldwide significance
sertaline (SSRI) and venlafaxine (SNRI) treatment was used in 37.5% (n=12) and selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (SSRI)’s were used in 62.5% (n=20) of men
On the basis of the conducted studies, it was found that the percentage of total body fat was significantly higher in the group of men treated with SSRI’s and SNRI’s than in the control group, while the percentage of lean body mass was significantly lower, despite a similar BMI in all groups indicating obesity
Summary
Depression is one of the main mental illnesses and is of worldwide significance. In order for patients to be able to improve their mental health, it is necessary to start them on pharmacological treatment. For the treatment of depression different groups of drugs are used, the most commonly used are: SSRI’s, SNRI’s and NaSSA’s. Drugs which belong to the selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (SSRI) are based on blocking the serotonin transporter increasing the concentration of serotonin in the synaptic gap. Serotonin-noradrenalin reuptake inhibitors on the other hand increase the concentration of noradrenaline and serotonin in the synaptic gap. Which drug will be more beneficial for a patient because of its appetite-reducing or increasing effect is difficult to verify due to the fact that the symptoms of the disease themselves cause appetite fluctuations
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