A Study on Serum Cortisol Levels and Thyroid Profile in Patients With Unipolar Depression

Background The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis are two neuroendocrine systems that play a crucial role in maintaining homeostasis and regulating mood alterations. These axes have also been implicated in the development and progression of unipolar depression (UD). This study aims to investigate the role of serum cortisol and thyroid function tests on the severity of depression among patients with UD attending the psychiatry department. The severity of depression was assessed using the Hamilton depression rating scale (HAM-D). Methodology In this cross-sectional study, 58 cases of UD were taken, and their serum cortisol levels and thyroid function tests were compared with the same-age and sex-matched controls with no psychiatric disorder. Result The serum cortisol levels were high among patients with UD as compared to controls, but these high values were not statistically significant (p-value >0.05). Serum triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) were lower among patients with UD as compared to controls. Serum thyrotropin (TSH) levels were significantly higher among patients with UD as compared to controls. Regression analysis revealed a linear relationship between levels of serum TSH and HAM-D score. Conclusion In conclusion, our study emphasizes the significance of the thyroid profile, especially TSH levels, in relation to depression and its severity.