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The following is a summary of “Relationship between thyroid-stimulating hormone and blood lipids in patients with first-episode depression,” published in the November 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Cui et al. 

Researchers conducted a prospective study to analyze the relationship between thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and lipid metabolism. This connection remains controversial, particularly in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD). 

They divided 1,718 first-episode patients with drug-naïve MDD into TSH abnormal (TSH-AB) and normal (TSH-NOR) groups. Assessments included the HAMD, HAMA, and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale positive subscale and blood tests for TSH, free T3, free T4, fasting glucose, lipid indexes, and body mass index (BMI). 

The results showed that participants in the TSH-AB group had significantly higher HAMD, HAMA, and positive symptom scores, along with a higher incidence of suicide attempts compared to those in the TSH-NOR group. They also had higher thyroglobulin antibodies, thyroid peroxidase antibodies, fasting glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels but lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. TSH values were positively correlated with TC, TG, and LDL-C and negatively correlated with HDL-C. 

The study concluded that TSH was closely linked to abnormal lipid metabolism in patients with MDD and required further investigation into the underlying mechanisms. 

 Source: bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-024-06168-2