Neutrophil/Lymphocyte ratio in patients with major depression and the impact of electroconvulsive therapy

Abstract

Aim: An accumulation of evidence supports the role of inflammation in the etiology of depression, particularly in severe depression. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatment on the rates of neutrophil/lymphocytes (N/L), platelets/lymphocyte (P/L) which are subclinical inflammatory markers in patients with moderate/severe depression who went into remission.

Materials and Methods: Patients with major depression who had been admitted to hospital in the preceding 2 years with a diagnosis of major depression according to DSM 5 and who had undergone ECT were included in this study as well as a similar number of patients were included as a control group. The groups were compared with respect to the subclinical inflammatory markers N/L, P/L at baseline and after ECT. Fifty-seven patients were compared with respect to N/L, P/L ratios before and after ECT.

Results: A total of 116 patients were included in the study, of whom 57 had major depression and 59 were in the control group. The N/L values were significantly higher in the pre-ECT patient group compared to the control group. The post-ECT N/L value was significantly higher compared to the control group and no difference was found between the P/L ratios. There was no significant difference between pre and post-ECT N/L, P/L values in the patient group.

Discussion: This study suggests the presence of subclinical inflammation in moderate to severe major depression patients which persists after ECT. Large-scale studies are needed to determine the effects of ECT on inflammation.