Inflammatory and metabolic markers in patients with mood disorders.

Objectives: An increasing bulk of data underlined that mood disorders show alterations that are not confined to the brain, but involve several other systems. The aim of this retrospective study was to explore metabolic/inflammatory profiles, blood pressure, and BMI in patients affected by bipolar disorders (BDs) to better understand the role of peripheral biomarkers in mood disorders.

Methods: Different metabolic/inflammatory parameters and clinical characteristics were evaluated in 97 BD inpatients from Sicily, a southern Italian region, and compared with normative values from the same area.

Results: No difference was detected between the assessed parameters and the normative values, or between treated and untreated patients. Interestingly, the mean acid uric levels were at the lowest extreme of the normative values, with men showing higher concentrations than women.

Conclusions: No metabolic nor inflammatory alterations emerged in BD patients, even if when obese. A possible explanation might be due to their geographical origin, with culinary traditions based on the Mediterranean diet. Therefore, it would be interesting to ascertain whether such a diet might improve the metabolic impairment often associated with mood disorders. Again, the routine assessment of different clinical/chemistry parameters might be helpful to improve the diagnostic stratification and the personalised treatment.