Largest ever meta-analysis conducted on over 6,200 patients.
By Dileep Thekkethil
BANGALORE: A new study conducted by researchers at the Aarhus University has found that anti-inflammatory drugs can control the symptoms of depression.
The study titled ‘Effect of Anti-inflammatory Treatment on Depression, Depressive Symptoms, and Adverse Effects’ is the outcome of the largest ever meta-analysis conducted on over 6,200 Danish depression affected patients.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates depression as one of the highest reported mood disorder, with people losing the quality of life and decreased life expectancy. Depression is also a cause of financial loss; it is estimated that due to depression there is a decrease of $23 billion business revenue each year in the United States alone.
The researchers in Aarhus University tried to find a correlation between the patients affected with infections that cause pain and the ones with depression. They used placebo-controlled trials that looked at the efficacy of anti-inflammatory treatment in adults suffering from depressive symptoms.
The result of the study says that the use of NSAIDs or Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, especially Celebrex (Celecoxib) could perhaps act as a better anti-depression drug as they have a low risk of side effects.
The lead author Ole Köhler, a student at Aarhus University, said, “When combined they give an important result which, in the long term strengthens the possibility of being able to provide the individual patient with more personalized treatment options.”
According to Kohler, not all patients suffering from depression can benefit from the use of the same dosage of anti-inflammatory drug because the reasons and the extent of depression vary from patient to patient. In such a scenario treatment has to be shaped up after routine blood tests.
He said, “Some studies suggest that the choice of antidepressant medication can be guided by a blood sample that measures whether there is an inflammatory condition in the body. Other studies show that the same blood samples could be used as a guideline on whether a depressive patient can be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs that work better when there is inflammation present simultaneously with the depression.”
The new study was published in JAMA Psychiatry.