Correlation between alterations of inflammatory markers and treatment with atypical antipsychotics in patients diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder

Abstract

Introduction

Clinical evidences suggests that cerebral inflammatory processes are involved in the development of major affective disorders [1].

Obvious correlations exist between changes of inflammatory markers such as acute-phase protein C (PCR) and VES, in patients with bipolar spectrum diagnosis [2].

Objectives

Our aim is demonstrating the correlations between changes of PCR and VES and pharmacological treatment with atypical antipsychotics in patients with acute bipolar disorder, highlighting a trend.

Method

Twenty patients with bipolar disorder were assessed at the entrance (T0), after three weeks (T1) and after six weeks (T2) of hospitalization using specific rating scales and blood tests routines include PCR and VES.

Results

Is possible to appreciate a correlation between the affective phase of bipolar disorder and inflammatory markers with a proportional trend (Table 1).

Discussion and conclusion

The scores obtained seem to confirm the effect of antipsychotic in both sense of psychiatric symptomatology reduction and in anti-inflammatory action.

A confirmation of a correlation between the resolution of affective disorders and normalization of inflammatory markers confirm the intrinsic anti-inflammatory activity of such drug compounds [3].

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Table 1

^a P < 0.01 vs. T0

^b P > 0.01 vs. T0/T1.

^c P < 0.01 vs. T0.

^d P < 0.01 vs. T1.