Table 3.
Patient characteristics and group differences in the four different affective disorder diagnose groups.
| Variables | MDD single episode (n = 18) | MDD recurrent episode (n = 114) | Chronic MDD (n = 52) | Dysthymia (n = 18) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex (% women) | 44% | 68% | 65% | 39% | 0.04* |
| Age, years, (median (min-max)) | 37.2 (21–74) | 38.4 (18–77) | 38.5 (18–74) | 36.3 (20–51) | 0.93 |
| BMI, mean (kg/m2), (SD) | 24.2 (5.3) | 25.6 (4.3) | 27.2 (5.9) | 25.1 (4.6) | 0.09 |
| Smoker (% yes) | 30% | 20% | 20% | 18% | 0.79 |
| Sample season (% summer) | 44% | 45% | 48% | 56% | 0.85 |
| Somatic illness (% yes) | 61% | 65% | 75% | 28% | <0.01** |
| Psychotropic drugs (% yes) | 78% | 96% | 100% | 89% | <0.01** |
| Anticonvulsants (% yes) | 0% | 31% | 23% | 17% | 0.03* |
| 25(OH)D, mean (nmol/L), SD) | 55.2 (22.5) | 65.3 (25.2) | 62.9 (24.6) | 64.3 (15.2) | 0.43 |
| 25(OH)D deficiency (% <50 nmol/L) | 56% | 25% | 37% | 22% | 0.03* |
* Significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).
** Significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Acronyms: major depressive disorder (MDD), body mass index (BMI), standard deviation (SD).