Cited by 48Suicide and Self-Harm StudiesTreatment of Major DepressionTryptophan and brain disorders

Association between total serum cholesterol and suicide attempts in subjects with major depressive disorder: exploring the role of clinical and biochemical confounding factors

Bartoli, Francesco, Crocamo, Cristina, Dakanalis, Antonios, Riboldi, Ilaria, Miotto, Alessio, Brosio, Enrico, Clerici, Massimo, Carrà, Giuseppe·2017·Clinical Biochemistry

Abstract

Objectives We tested whether serum total cholesterol levels might be associated with recent suicide attempts in subjects with major depressive disorder, after controlling for relevant individual characteristics.Design and methods We conducted a comparative cross-sectional study including consecutive inpatients with major depressive disorder. We differentiated subjects admitted for a recent serious (violent or non-violent) suicide attempt and those without such recent history. Total cholesterol was measured from fasting blood tests.Results At univariate analyses, suicide attempters had levels of total cholesterol (174.0±45.7mg/dL) lower than non-attempters (193.9±42.6mg/dL) (p=0.004). This was confirmed among both violent (174.1±46.2mg/dL) and non-violent (173.8±46.1mg/dL) suicide attempters (p=0.035 and 0.016, respectively). However, logistic regression analyses, sequentially including demographic, clinical (comorbid alcohol and personality disorders), and biochemical factors, did not show any association between serum cholesterol and recent suicide attempts (p=0.172). Similar findings were observed in multinomial logistic regression analyses, for both violent (p=0.512) and non-violent (p=0.157) suicide attempts.Conclusions Our findings do not support the hypothesis that serum cholesterol and suicide attempts are associated among subjects with major depressive disorder. The identification of valid and accessible biological markers of suicidal behaviors still represents a challenge for future research.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2016.11.035

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Authors
Bartoli, F., Crocamo, C., Dakanalis, A., Riboldi, I., Miotto, A., Brosio, E., Clerici, M., & Carrà, G.
Affiliations
  • University of Milano-Bicocca (IT)
  • University College London (GB)
Corresponding author
Bartoli, Francesco
Venue
Clinical Biochemistry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2017-04
Volume
50
Issue
6
Pages
274-278
ISSN
0009-9120 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2559885981
Cited by
48
References
46
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 3
FWCI
6.69
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Clinical Biochemistry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • BOA (University of Milano-Bicocca) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
Keywords
total cholesterol, suicide attempts, major depressive disorder, violent suicide attempts, confounding factors, personality disorders
MeSH terms
Cholesterol, Cross-Sectional Studies, Depressive Disorder, Major, Major Depressive Disorder, Female, Hospitalization, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Risk Factors, Suicide, Attempted, Comorbidity

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