Relationship between severity of depression symptoms and iron deficiency anemia in women with major depressive disorder

Introduction: Iron deficiency (ID) is a common nutritional problem lead to many unintended consequences such as decrease energy, immune system problems, and neurological dysfunction. The most common psychological disorder is depression. A patient with ID anemia (IDA) show signs and symptoms of behavioral and mood disorders like depression. Methods: In this study, 100 female patients with diagnosed major depression in years 2010 and 2011 were studied. In all patients standard Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS) was used to evaluate depression severity. Blood samples were taken for complete blood count difference analysis and evaluating anemia and in those with hemoglobin (Hb) < 12 mg/dl, ferritin, and total iron binding capacity were checked to evaluate IDA. Results: Patients mean age was 36.34 ± 10.43 years old. Mean HDRS score was 32.20 ± 4.07. 19 had anemia, and among them 8% had IDA. Mean HDRS score in patients with IDA (33.37 ± 1.90) was higher than those without (32.09 ± 4.19), but the difference was not significant (P = 0.39). There was no difference between patients with and without anemia in HDRS score. The negative relation was observed between Hb levels, and HDRS score (Pearson correlation = -0.21, P = 0.03). Conclusion: We observed that the negative correlation between Hb levels and HDRS score. It demonstrates the effect of Hb decrease and anemia occurrence on depression severity; however, it needs more studies.