Publication Date

5-1-2023

Journal

European Neuropsychopharmacology

DOI

10.1016/j.euroneuro.2023.02.006

PMID

36808043

PMCID

PMC9905099

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

2-8-2023

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Abstract

Major Depressive Episodes (MDE) following COVID-19 are frequent, can have a characteristic clinical picture, and are associated with immune-inflammatory changes. Vortioxetine is known to improve physical and cognitive performance in patients with depression and shows anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities. This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the effects of vortioxetine after 1 and 3 months of treatment in 80 patients (44.4% males, 54±17.2 years) with post-COVID-19 MDE. The primary outcome was improvement in physical and cognitive symptoms measured by specific items of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), Short Form-36 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36), Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), Perceived Deficits Questionnaire for Depression (PDQ-D5). Changes in mood, anxiety, anhedonia, sleep, and quality of life were also investigated, as well as the underlying inflammatory status. Results show that, alongside reduction of depressive symptoms (HDRS, p< 0.001), vortioxetine (mean dose: 10.1±4.1 mg/day) significantly improved physical features (all measurements p< 0.001) and cognitive functioning (DDST, p=0.02; PDQ-D5, p< 0.001) throughout treatment. We also observed significant reductions in inflammatory indexes. Therefore, vortioxetine might be a favorable therapeutic choice in post-COVID-19 patients with MDE because of its beneficial effects on physical complaints and cognition, features that appear to be specifically affected in relation to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and its good safety/tolerability profile. High prevalence and clinical and socioeconomic implications of COVID-19 consequences are a major public health concern and developing tailored, safe interventions is crucial to promote full functional recovery.

Keywords

Male, Humans, Female, Vortioxetine, Depressive Disorder, Major, Antidepressive Agents, Retrospective Studies, Quality of Life, Treatment Outcome, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Cognition, Double-Blind Method, COVID-19, Mood disorders, Antidepressants, Personalized medicine

Published Open-Access

yes

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