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Frequency of depression and its correlation with serum carnitine level in HIV/AIDS patients

Haleh Rezaee1, Hossein Khalili, Shima Hatamkhani

  • 1Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.

Current HIV Research
|April 12, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Carnitine may help depression symptoms, and deficiency is common in HIV patients. This study found no significant link between carnitine levels and depression severity in HIV/AIDS individuals, but more research is needed.

Area of Science:

  • Nutritional Neuroscience
  • Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Background:

  • Depression is more common in individuals with HIV compared to the general population.
  • Carnitine deficiency is frequently observed in HIV-positive individuals.
  • Carnitine has shown potential benefits in managing depression symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the correlation between serum carnitine levels and depression severity in HIV/AIDS patients.
  • To assess the prevalence of carnitine deficiency in this population.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 100 HIV/AIDS patients (42 males, 58 females).
  • Depression severity was measured using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).
  • Serum total carnitine concentration was quantified and compared against deficiency thresholds.

Main Results:

  • 31% experienced mild, 16% moderate, and 21% severe depression.
  • Mean serum carnitine was 37.96 ± 26.08 µmol/L.
  • 54% of patients were classified as carnitine deficient.
  • A non-statistically significant negative correlation was observed between depression scores and serum carnitine levels.

Conclusions:

  • While a trend was not statistically significant, the findings suggest a potential relationship between carnitine levels and depression in HIV/AIDS.
  • Given the high prevalence of depression and carnitine deficiency in this group, further investigation into carnitine's role in HIV-associated depression is warranted.

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