EFFECT OF ANTIDEPRESSANT TREATMENT ON HAEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF DEPRESSIVE DISORDERED PATIENTS IN A NIGERIAN TEACHING HOSPITAL

Background: The effect of antidepressant, a major pharmacological agent of treating depressive disorders, on the hematological parameters of depressive disordered patients was studied. Materials & Methods: Forty patients (male and female) at the mental health clinic, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo and forty apparently healthy individuals served as controls. Haematological parameters were estimated using SYSMEX KX-2IN blood auto-analyzer, erythrocytes sedimentation rates using Westergreen method. Results: show that there is a statistically significant (p<0.05) elevation in the erythrocytes sedimentation rates of the depressive disordered patients than in the control group. Statistically significant decrease was observed in hematological parameters such as haematocrit, hemoglobin, red blood cells count, platelets count and total white blood cell count in depressed patients on treatment with antidepressants, e.g Amitriptyline, Imipramine, etc. However, there is no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) in the mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean cell haemoglobin (MCH) of both the patients under treatment for depression and control subjects. Conclusion: Therefore, a good monitoring of the haematological parameters of depressive disordered patients before and during antidepressant’s administration could serve as a reliable means of observing changes resulting from the use of antidepressant drugs.