Blood Test Targeting Depression May Soon Provide Accurate Treatment

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Researchers from King’s College London, United Kingdom recently published their findings in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology after years of research where this new method of blood test targeting depression could accurately tell which appropriate antidepressant drug to use.

Method for blood test targeting depression focus on symptoms

The researchers revealed that by checking the blood would be able to help point out what treatment to use, one of which they were able to determine are those tested positive for inflammation and needing more aggressive therapy.

The study have so far tested the blood test process on a small population of around 140 patients with depression, but researchers believe that they expect to do larger trial activities to see how it would work with the general population.

Current intervention practices, especially in emergency cases for people with depression, is that medics rely on a trial and error process of applying treatment, which half of the time the initial antidepressant drug fails to work.

The researchers identified two indicators for inflammation known macrophage migration inhibitor factor (MIF) and interleukin-1 beta that were both not responsive to conventional antidepressants like the commonly prescribed SSRI and tricyclic classes.

“About a third of patients might have these inflammatory markers and they would be people we might encourage to go on more aggressive treatment,” says lead researcher Pro. Carmine Pariante, who also pointed out that this could help in providing accurate treatment that works the first time and be able to do it more routinely without subjecting the patient to harmful side effects that could result from using an incorrect drug type.

In the United States, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) reported that more than 14.8 million Americans are affected by major depressive disorder or roughly about 6..7 percent of the country’s population of those aged 18 and older, every year.

Although major depressive problems occur at any time and at any age, the average age based on statistics is 32 and is more likely to occur in women than in men.

Those suffering from depression are more likely to develop heart conditions even heart attack compare to those without any history of the illness and worse, higher risk of death in the event of a second attack.

Globally, depression is the third ranking workplace issues and cost estimates for losses in the US alone amounting to almost $100 billion every year due to lost productivity, absences  and medical expenditures.

But health experts are hopeful they would be able to soon find a way to improve treatment with this new method of blood test targeting depression to give patients a ray of hope in treating the condition.

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