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AimTo investigate the association between depression, metabolic syndrome (MBS), somatic, particularly cardiovascular comorbidity, and low-grade chronic inflammation assessed using C-reactive protein (CRP).MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 76 patients with recurrent depressive disorder (RDD) and 72 non-depressed medical staff controls from the Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Center Zagreb between January 2011 and June 2012.ResultsSeventy-five percent of patients had somatic comorbidity. The most common comorbid conditions were cardiovascular disorders (46.1%), locomotor system diseases (35.5%), carcinoma (15.8%), thyroid diseases (9.2%), and diabetes (9.2%). MTB was more common in RDD patients (31.6%) than in controls (23.6%), but the difference was not significant. Elevated CRP was found to be significantly more frequent in patients with recurrent depressive disorders (RDD) (35.5%; χ2 test, P = 0.001, Cramer V = 0.29) than in controls (12.5%) and was associated with lowered high-density lipoprotein and overweight/obesity.ConclusionWe found some intriguing links between stress, depression, metabolic syndrome, and low grade inflammation, which may be relevant for the prevalence of somatic comorbidity in patients with RDD, but further studies are needed to confirm our results.

Background:Previous studies on the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with bipolar disorder have reported higher rates than in their respective general populations.Objective:This study evaluates the prevalence rate and modal subcomponents of metabolic syndrome in 34 patients treated in University Hospital Centre Zagreb,Croatia.Method:Naturalistic, cross sectional study. Patients were evaluated for the presence of metabolic syndrome according to NCEP ATP-III criteria.Results:Mean age was 41.1(SD 12.9). Overall prevalence rate of MetS was 35.3%. Forty seven percent met the criterion for abdominal obesity, 58.8% for hypertrigliceridemia, 23.5 % for low HDL cholesterol, 50.0% for hypertension, and 23.5 for high fasting glucose. There was no diference in the prevalence rate by gender.Conclusions:Clinical medical monitoring for these parameters is recommended. Psychotropic drugs use may confer differential risk for developing the metabolic syndrome.

Back ground:The importance of cholesterol for health, physical and psychological well-being has been recognized for a long time. Changes in serum cholesterol levels may have a direct impact on mental perfomance, mood, behavior, survival and expected lifetime duration.Objective:To examine the association between depression and cholesterol levels and to discuss the possible imlications in clinical practice.Method:A MEDLINE search was conducted to identify relevant studies and reviews. The results of our own research will be also presented.Results:Clinical investigations of cholesterolemia in patients with depressive disorders have produced very conflicting results. Recently, low serum cholesterol was proposed as a biological marker for depression, suicide and affective disorders. Depression has increasingly been recognized as an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). On the other side, CHD is related to high serum cholesterol levels. It seems that both low and high serum cholesterol may be associated with a higher risk of the premature deaths as well as with depression.Conclusion:Our current knowledge on the relation between cholesterolemia and depressive disorders is poor and controversial. The lipoprotein profile, rather than total cholesterol levels, seems to be more important.

The treatment of rapidly deteriorating dementia is always very challenging. This case report describes a 78-year-old male patient with rapidly developing dementia treated successfully with orally disintegrating olanzapine, memantine, donepezil, omega-3 and vitamin-B complex. The prevailing fatalism and treatment nihilism regarding treatment of dementia should give way to more hope and optimism. Several important treatment dillemas in rapidly developing dementia are discussed.

Introduction:History of previous psychiatric illness, hormonal actors, and psychosocial factors has been investigated as a possible etiological cause for postpartum psychiatric illness.Aim:The goal was to determine whether poor social support and undiagnosed depression in the previous pregnancy have an impact on the development of peripartal complications.Methods:We investigated 103 women 3 days after vaginal delivery. Investigated women filed a social support questionnaire with 7 questions. 1 We asumed that women with “poor social suport” would give 2 or more positive answers on these questions.Results:We found that all eight woman in childbed which had 2 or more positive answers on social support questionaiere, were at the group with examined complications (n = 61), and none was in the control group (n = 42). These eight women had by far the greatest mean score in Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and of Impact of Events Scale revised (IES-R) of all other subgroups examined in the previously published study. 2 They also had a statistically significant difference in both scores versus the control group (n = 42).Conclusions:According to these results we concluded that poor social support and previosly undiagnosed pospartal depression may have an impact both on peripartal complications and postpartum psychiatric disorders development.

Background: Major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are commonly associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) as well as hyperhomocysteinemia and hypercholesterolemia. Personality types A and D are claimed to be risk factors for CHD. Aim: To evaluate relations between risky personality types, cholesterol and homocystein serum levels in patients with major depression compared to PTSD patients with and without depression. Subjects and methods: Personality types A and D, cholesterol and homocysteine level were assessed in 40 patients with major depression and 40 male PTSD patients with and without depression. Results: Hypercholesterolemia and hyperhomocysteinemia were found more frequently in patients with major depression and PTSD patients with depression than in PTSD without depression. Personality type D (tendency to experience negative emotions and social inhibition) was more frequent among PTSD patients compared to patients with depression, while there was no difference in personality A type (competitiveness, time urgency, aggressiveness and hostility) distribution. Conclusion: Hypercholesterolemia and hyperhomocysteinemia may be useful clinical markers related to specific treatment options in patients with major depression as well as in PTSD patients.