İnci Meltem Atay

The impact of personality on quality of life and disease activity in patients with Behcet’s disease: a pilot study

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to examine the personality characteristics of patients with Behcets Disease (BD) using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) compared with healthy control subjects and to investigate the relationship between the temperament and character properties and quality of life, disease activity, depression and anxiety in Behcets patients. METHODS A total of 46 BD patients and 40 healthy subjects were included in the study. All patients and controls were determined using the TCI, Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Clinical Version for Axis I disorders (SCID-CV), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Quality of life (QOL) Instrument for Skin Disorders and Behcet Disease Current Activity Form (BDCAF). RESULTS BD patients demonstrated significantly lower Reward Dependence than healthy controls. Among the subscales; Explarotory Excitability, Shyness with Strangers, Attachment, Spiritual Acceptance were lower and Self-Acceptance was higher in patients compared to control subjects. Decreased quality of life and increased disease activity of the patients were correlated with increased anxiety and depression. Responsibility, Self-Forgetfulness and Transpersonal Identification were associated with quality of life while Responsibility was the major factor effecting QOL. Disease activity was not found related with TCI properties. CONCLUSION Temperament and Character traits of BD patients were different from healthy group that might be due to many factors like genetics, biological or socio-cultural differences. BD patients were demonstrated as materialistic, self-contained, self-confident, cold, detached, and reserved although they are not shy. Considering the different personality traits of BD patients in psychotherapeutic approaches, may have a positive impact on QOL and comorbid major depressive disorder.

Vareniklin Kullanımı Sonrası İleri Yaş Başlangıçlı Mani: Bir Olgu Sunumu

Late-life onset manic attacks generally occur secondary to general medical conditions or drug use. Varenicline is an α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist, used for the cessation of smoking. In this case report, we present a 67-year-old male patient with a new-onset manic episode following varenicline treatment. The patients manic symptoms started on the seventh day of varenicline treatment. His symptoms started on the 7th day of treatment. He was admitted to the psychiatric outpatient clinic since his symptoms did not improve despite discontinuing varenicline treatment. In the initial mental status examination, he scored 35/60 on the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). On the twenty-fifth day of the hospitalization, the patient was discharged since his YMRS score improved (5/60). Varenicline may cause manic episodes in patients with bipolar disorder and in healthy individuals. An increasing number of serious psychiatric disorders are being reported due to varenicline treatment. Mental state examination before and during varenicline treatment seems necessary.

Evaluation of Eating Attitude in Patients with Migraine

INTRODUCTION This study aimed to investigate the eating attitudes in patients with migraine. METHODS Fifty-nine patients (mean age: 32.54±8.47 years) diagnosed with migraine according to the International Classification of Headache Disorder, 2004, and 47 age-, gender- and education-matched healthy controls (mean age: 31.85±7.14 years) were enrolled for this study. Sociodemographic data were recorded, and the body mass index was calculated as kilograms per meter squared. Data regarding the duration of illness and attack, frequency of migraine attacks, and the presence of aura were recorded. Migraine severity was assessed by Migraine Disability Assessment Score (MIDAS). Eating Attitudes Test (EAT), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory were applied to all participants. RESULTS The patients with migraine had significantly higher EAT scores, levels of anxiety, and depression than controls (p<.01). Furthermore, 11.9% of patients with migraine had an EAT score of 30 or higher, which is suggestive of a disordered eating attitude, whereas this rate was 2.1% in healthy controls (p<.05). The scores of EAT and BDI had positive correlation with the scores of MIDAS in patients with migraine (r=.298, p<.05; r=.332, p=.01, respectively). CONCLUSION In our study, disordered eating attitudes and the levels of anxiety and depression were high in patients with migraine than controls. Our study is important to demonstrate the connection between migraine and disordered eating attitudes.

The Polymorphisms of Ser49Gly and Gly389Arg in Beta-1-Adrenergic Receptor Gene in Major Depression

INTRODUCTION It was reported that the genetic susceptibility of major depressive disorder (MDD) is related with genetic polymorphisms. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible association of the genotype and allele frequencies of Ser49Gly and Arg389Gly polymorphisms in MDD by comparing them with healthy subjects. METHODS A total of 144 patients with MDD diagnosed according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) criteria and 105 healthy controls were included in the study. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was used for genotyping. RESULTS Of the 144 participants in the MDD group, 77 (53.5%) had homozygous wild type (AA), 57 (39.6%) had heterozygous type (AG), and 10 (6.9%) had mutant (GG) genotype for Ser49Gly, whereas 75 (52.1%) had homozygous wild type (GG), 59 (41.0%) had heterozygous (GC) type, and 10 (6.9%) had mutant homozygous (CC) genotype for Gly386Arg. There were no significant difference in the allele and genotype frequencies of the beta-1-adrenergic receptor (ADRB1) gene for Ser49Gly and Arg389Gly polymorphisms after comparing with healthy controls (p=0.626; p=0.863 and p=0.625; p=0.914). CONCLUSION The results of our study did not reveal a major effect of the polymorphism of Ser49Gly and Gly389Arg in the ADRB1 gene in MDD. Further studies with larger sample size are required to elucidate the role of other beta-1 adrenergic gene polymorphisms in MDD.