PLASMA 11-HYDROXYCORTICOSTEROID CONCENTRATION IN DEPRESSIVE ILLNESS

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Abstract
This paper reports a controlled investigation of the diurnal rhythm of plasma 11-hydroxycorticosteroids (11-OHCS) in patients suffering from depressive illness. Using a specific method, Peterson & Wyngaarden (1956) demonstrated a diurnal variation in the plasma hydrocortisone level in normal subjects. In view of the probable neurohormonal factors in affective disorders, it would seem relevant to study the effect of depressive illness upon the plasma 11-OHCS concentration. Gibbons & McHugh (1962) reported raised plasma 11-OHCS levels in depressed patients, but did not study the diurnal rhythm. McClure (1966) showed that plasma 11-OHCS levels in depressed patients were significantly raised in the morning and evening; his control group, however, was not studied under identical conditions. In the present investigation a group of depressed patients and a control group were studied under identical conditions and all biochemical determinations were made in the same department. Eighteen patients (5 males and 13 females) suffering from

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