Interferon Depression

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Title: Interferon Depression In Hepatitis C Tied To Cytokine Induction

Psychiatry Res 2001 Dec 15;105(1-2):45-55

12/27/2001 08:48:42 AM

By Anne MacLennan

Depressive symptoms following interferon-alpha therapy in chronic hepatitis

C patients may be secondary to cytokine induction, including that of IL-6.

This is the finding of a study by S. Bonaccorso and colleagues from the

Psychiatric Hospital, University 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy.

Immunotherapy with interferon-alpha (IFNalpha) is known to sometimes induce

depressive symptoms, anxiety and major depression when administered for at

least one to three months at a dose of three to 10 MUI daily, twice or three

times a week.

Previously, it has been shown that immunotherapy with interleukin-2 (IL-2)

significantly induces the cytokine network, as measured by increases in

serum IL-6, IL-10 and the IL-2 receptor (IL-2R), and that the

immunotherapy-induced changes in the cytokine network are significantly

correlated with the increases in depression ratings.

These authors thus sought to examine the effects of immunotherapy with

IFNalpha on the cytokine network in relation to changes in depression and

anxiety ratings.

Study participants were 14 patients, affected by chronic active C-hepatitis.

All were treated with IFNalpha (three to six MUI s.c. three/six times a week

for six months).

Before the immunotherapy with IFNalpha started and then two, four, 16 and 24

weeks after, researchers measured patients' serum IFN-gamma (IFNgamma),

IL-2, IL-6, IL-6R, IL-8 and IL-10.

For severity of depression, study authors used the Montgomery-Asberg

Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and for anxiety, the Hamilton Anxiety Rating

Scale (HAM-A).

Repeated measure (RM) design ANOVAs showed significantly higher MADRS and

HAM-A scores two to four weeks and four to six months after starting the

therapy than at baseline.

RM design ANOVAs showed significantly higher serum IL-6 and IL-8 levels two

to four weeks after starting IFNalpha-based immunotherapy and higher serum

IL-10 levels two to four weeks and four to six months after starting therapy

than at baseline.

There were significant relationships between the IFNalpha-induced changes in

serum IL-6 or IL-8 and the depression and anxiety scores.

These findings indicate that IFNalpha-based immunotherapy induces the

cytokine network and that IFNalpha-induced increases in IL-6 predict the

development of depressive symptoms.

Thus, depressive symptoms following IFNalpha treatment may be secondary to

cytokine induction, including that of IL-6, these authors conclude.

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