AI Article Synopsis
- The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was conducted on 18 OCD patients and 20 healthy volunteers, revealing that a higher percentage of OCD patients (27.7%) failed to suppress cortisol levels compared to healthy subjects (5%).
- A significant difference in gender was found among the OCD patients, with all nonsuppressors being male and a chi-square analysis confirming this (chi 2 = 4.40, p < 0.03).
- Despite the differences in suppression response, there were no notable discrepancies in clinical or demographic factors between suppressors and nonsuppressors, and the overall depression severity among the nonsuppressors was relatively low (HDRS scores not exceeding 17).
Article Abstract
The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was performed in 18 patients (11 women and 7 men) who met the DSM III-R criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD), and in 20 healthy volunteers (12 women and 8 men). At 4.00 p.m., following dexamethasone administration, 5 patients (27.7%) and 1 healthy subject (5%) displayed plasma cortisol values well above the cut-off value of 50 ng/dl. A significantly different sex ratio was observed between suppressor and nonsuppressor patients with OCD (chi 2 = 4.40, p less than 0.03), because all nonsuppressor patients were male. Compared to the suppressors, nonsuppressor patients with OCD did not differ in any of the clinical and demographic variables investigated. Moreover, in our patient sample, the mean +/- SD total Hamilton Depression Rating Score (HDRS) was 14.8 +/- 2.5, and none of the nonsuppressors with OCD had a total HDRS greater than 17. These data suggest that a subgroup of OCD patients, particularly males, may escape the DST independently from the coexistence of depressive features.
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