Depression in reproductive-age women : assessment of infectious, endocrinological, and immunological correlates from an evolutionary perspective.

Depression;Women's health;Estrogen;Trytophan;Chlamydia

Amber N. Carrier

University:University of Louisville

Department:Biology

关键词: Depression;    Women's health;    Estrogen;    Trytophan;    Chlamydia;   

Others  :  https://ir.library.louisville.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1213&context=etd

美国|英语

来源: The Universite of Louisville's Institutional Repository

【 摘 要 】

Depression is one of the most frequent causes of disability worldwide. It canaffect the psychological, social, and physical wellbeing of those that suffer from it, themajority of which are women. Depression has been linked to immune activation as wellas serotonin depletion through a reduction in its precursor, tryptophan. Chlamydiatrachomatis infection and estrogen can influence both the immune system and tryptophanlevels, thereby biochemically inducing a depressive state. If this is the case, the use ofexogenous estrogen through oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) could increase depressivesymptoms, while the use of antibiotics to treat C. trachomatis infection could decreasedepression. This thesis examined whether depression status in subjects was correlated withinfection and medication use. Women were screened for depression at their annualgynecological exam, during which time they would receive an STI screen as standard ofcare. The study was conducted at the University of Louisville GYN/OB Foundationclinic and Campus Health Services from 2009-2011. Subjects were given a BeckDepression Inventory (BDI) to assess depressive symptoms and asked to keep a calendar of medication use. Subjects returned after one month to take a second BDI and theirscores and medication calendars were compared with their medical records, specificallyinfection status and existing medical conditions. BDI scores decreased significantly in the follow-up assessment relative to the initial assessment. This decrease was correlated with the extent to which the subjects used mood-altering medications. Birth control use was correlated with an increase indepressive symptoms, but subjects who took mood-altering medication in addition tobirth control were not more depressed than those that did not take birth control. Therewere insufficient data to correlate sexually transmitted infections, particularly C.trachomatis, with depressive symptoms. These findings show that increased hormonalbirth control use is correlated with an increase in depression, but this depression isameliorated with the use of mood-altering medication. These results imply that antidepressivemedication may be particularly effective in treating depression associated withestrogen or oral contraceptive pills.