?:abstract
|
-
AIMS: Depression is an important issue in heart failure (HF). The study investigated whole-brain and regional brain glucose metabolism in HF patients and its association with depression comorbidity. METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty-nine hospitalized patients with symptomatic systolic HF (left ventricular ejection fraction <40%), New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II-IV and mean age of 55.5 ± 12.0 years, had psychometric questionnaires before discharge and an 18 F-FDG PET/CT brain scan after discharge. Semi-automated image analysis was performed on all cases and 30 matched controls. The metabolic parameter mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean ) was calculated for the whole brain and three brain regions implicated in depression pathogenesis. A standardized SUVmean was also estimated by dividing regional brain SUVmean with whole-brain SUVmean . Cases had lower average whole-brain SUVmean (3.90 ± 1.49 vs. 5.10 ± 1.35, P = 0.001) and average regional brain SUVmean (4.57 ± 2.31 vs. 9.96 ± 3.58, P < 0.001) compared to controls. Whole-brain SUVmean had a significant correlation with patient age, NYHA class, diabetes, creatinine levels, depression, and cognitive impairment. Regional brain SUVmean was correlated with whole-brain SUVmean and depression. The standardized SUVmean , in particular, was found to be a robust index that could differentiate HF patients with \'epiphenomenal\' (>0.93) or \'real\' (≤0.93) depression. CONCLUSION: Heart failure patients with more severe disease showed whole-brain and regional brain hypometabolism in 18 F-FDG PET/CT. Depressed HF patients (Beck Depression Inventory score >13) exhibited different metabolic patterns that could be used to differentiate between \'epiphenomenal\' and \'real\' depression. Namely, presence of whole-brain hypometabolism suggested \'epiphenomenal\' depression, whereas absence suggested \'real\' depression. Presence of significant relative regional brain hypometabolism enhanced the likelihood of \'real\' depression diagnosis.
|