ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Mood Disorders
This article is part of the Research TopicExploring resilience and adaptive traits in mood disordersView all articles
Thyroid dysfunction in elderly first-episode drug-naïve major depressive disorder patients with comorbid dyslipidemia: prevalence, clinical profile and associated factors
Provisionally accepted
- 1Qingdao Mental Health Center, Qingdao, China
- 2Hefei Fourth People's Hospital, Hefei, China
- 3Anhui Mental Health Center, Hefei, China
- 4Affiliated Psychological Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
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Background: Elderly major depressive disorder (MDD) patients often exhibit complex symptomatology and high rates of abnormal lipid metabolism (ALM), yet predictors of abnormal thyroid function in those with co-occurring lipid metabolism are not fully elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between thyroid function and ALM in first-episode, drug-naïve (FEDN) elderly MDD patients. Methods: 1,029 elderly FEDN MDD patients were enrolled. Demographics, lipid profile (TC, TG, LDL-C, HDL-C), thyroid parameters (TSH, FT3, FT4, TG-Ab, TPO-Ab), and symptom ratings (HAMD, HAMA, PANSS-positive) were assessed. Results: Prevalence of abnormal thyroid function was 69.0%. Compared with ALM patients without thyroid dysfunction, those affected had higher HAMD, HAMA, and PANSS-positive scores, more suicide attempts, severe anxiety, and psychotic symptoms (all P < 0.05). Logistic regression identified BMI (OR = 1.186), HAMD score (OR = 1.201), blood glucose (OR = 4.03), TC (OR = 1.683), and LDL-C (OR = 1.299) were independent associated factors for abnormal thyroid function in MDD patients with comorbid ALM(all P < 0.001). Conclusion: Abnormal thyroid function is highly prevalent in elderly FEDN MDD patients with ALM; clinical severity, glucose, and lipid levels contribute to this comorbidity.These findings suggest that elderly, first-episode MDD patients with dyslipidemia, particularly those with elevated BMI, high blood glucose, and severe depressive symptoms, should undergo routine screening for thyroid dysfunction to facilitate early intervention.
Keywords: HAMD评分, 甲状腺激素, 脂质代谢, 重度抑郁症, 首发症状
Received: 10 Nov 2025; Accepted: 12 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Song, Yi, Wang and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xiangyang Zhang
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