Immune cell imbalance in major depressive and panic disorders.

We investigated subsets of peripheral immunologic cells in 12 drug-free patients affected by major depression according to DSM-III-R criteria, and who had recent evidence of somatic diseases. They were compared with 10 drug-free depressives, with 10 patients with panic disorder, and with 12 healthy volunteers, all without somatic disease. The immune subsets were measured by flow cytometry. The results showed that both groups of depressives had the same abnormalities in immune cells compared with the healthy volunteers or the panic disorder patients; in particular they presented a lower number of CD3+, CD8+ and HLA-DR+. The patients with panic attacks did not differ from healthy controls, except for CD4+ cells which were significantly lowered, even in comparison with the depressive groups. These data, although preliminary and in a small sample, suggest that some immune parameters may be influenced by the presence of a major psychiatric disorder.