Table 1.
Descriptive table of the study participants and comparisons between psychiatric patients and healthy controls.
| Total study population (N = 218) | Healthy controls (n = 46) | Psychiatric patients (n = 172) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General characteristics | |||
| Sex: Female, n (%) | 168 (77) | 36 (78) | 132 (77) |
| Age, years, median (IQR) | 21.00 (3.00) | 22.00 (3.00) | 21.00 (4.00)*** |
| Smoking, n (%)b | 52 (24) | 1 (2) | 51 (30)*** |
| Educational level: University, n (%) | 127 (58) | 45 (98) | 82 (48)*** |
| Psychiatric characteristics | |||
| Neuroticism score, mean (SD) | 59.10 (8.75) | 50.39 (5.92) | 61.43 (7.88)*** |
| Antidepressants, n (%)a | 82 (38) | 0 (0) | 82 (48)*** |
| Any anxiety disorder, n (%) | 108 (50) | 0 (0) | 108 (63)*** |
| Current MDD, n (%) | 74 (34) | 0 (0) | 74 (43)*** |
| Life-time unipolar depressive episode, n (%) | 124 (57) | 3 (7) | 121 (70)*** |
| Bipolar disorder, n (%) | 27 (12) | 0 (0) | 27 (16)** |
| Substance addiction, n (%) | 16 (7) | 0 (0) | 16 (9)* |
| Somatic status | |||
| BMI, kg/m2, median (IQR)c | 22.41 (4.80) | 22.38 (2.67) | 22.49 (5.63) |
| WHR, median (IQR)d | 0.76 (0.08) | 0.74 (0.07) | 0.76 (0.08)** |
| SBP, mmHg, median (IQR)e | 119.00 (10.00) | 110.00 (15.00) | 120.00 (10.00)* |
| DBP, mmHg, median (IQR)e | 70.00 (5.00) | 70.00 (10.00) | 65.50 (5.00)* |
| Biomarkers of interest | |||
| L/A ratio, median (IQR) | 1.35 (2.09) | 1.17 (1.19) | 1.47 (2.37) |
| Leptin, ng/mL, median (IQR) | 14.00 (17.46) | 11.48 (12.13) | 16.31 (20.85)* |
| Adiponectin, ug/mL, median (IQR) | 9.45 (4.49) | 9.36 (4.09) | 9.45 (4.69) |
| CRP, mg/L, median (IQR)f | 0.79 (2.10) | 0.46 (0.64) | 1.00 (2.51)* |
| IL-6, pg/mL, median (IQR)f | 0.29 (0.34) | 0.23 (0.22) | 0.33 (0.37)** |
| TNF-α, pg/mL, median (IQR)f | 1.86 (1.02) | 1.91 (0.97) | 1.85 (1.18) |
To test if there was a significant difference between patients and controls, the Chi-square test (or Fisher’s test when applicable) was used for the categorical variables and the Mann–Whitney test for the continuous variables.
IQR interquartile range, BMI body mass index, WHR Waist-hip ratio, SBP systolic blood pressure, DBP diastolic blood pressure, L/A leptin/adiponectin.
*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001.
aSSRI, SNRI, tricylic antidepressants, Mirtazapine, Mianserin or Buproprion.
Missing data for: bFourteen controls and forty-nine patients; cFour patients; dThirteen patients and two controls; eTwo patients; fSixteen patients.