Citation

Ekinci O, Ekinci A. Nord. J. Psychiatry 2017; 71(8): 574-580.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/08039488.2017.1363285

PMID

28800269

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The role of inflammation and lipid metabolism in the pathophysiology of suicidal behavior has received particular attention in recent years. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been suggested as a new and more reliable indicator of low-grade inflammation. NLR has been found to be altered in major depressive disorder (MDD) and has been related to various factors, including chronic stress and impulsivity that were previously reported to be related to suicidal behavior. We aimed to explore the roles of NLR, C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum lipid levels on suicidal behavior in patients with MDD.
METHODS: The study group consisted of 139 inpatients diagnosed with MDD [37 suicide attempters (SA); 102 suicide non-attempters (NSA)], 50 healthy controls and matched according to age, gender and education. NLR, PLR, CRP and lipid values were obtained from digital inpatient records.
RESULTS: CRP levels and NLR were substantially higher in patients with SA than in subjects with NSA and healthy comparison subjects after adjusting the confounding factors. The logistic regression included two predictive variables for suicide status in patients with depressive disorder (A) previous suicidal history; (B) NLR.
CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study suggesting that NLR may be a trait marker for suicidal vulnerability via a relationship between NLR and a recent suicide attempt in depressed inpatients. Future prospective studies are needed to determine the exact roles of NLR, and other inflammatory markers on suicidality in MDD.

Language: en

Keywords

Humans; Adult; Female; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Suicide, Attempted; depression; Inflammation; C reactive protein; Lymphocytes; lipid; Lipids; Depressive Disorder, Major; Neutrophils; C-Reactive Protein; Leukocyte Count; Neutrophil–to-lymphocyte ratio