Georgotas A, Stokes P, McCue R E, Dubow A, Welkowitz J, Friedman E, Fanelli C, Chang I, Cooper T B
J Affect Disord. 1986 Jul-Aug;11(1):21-8. doi: 10.1016/0165-0327(86)90055-8.
Seventy-two out-patients, 55 years or older, suffering from major depression were treated with either nortriptyline or phenelzine for seven weeks under placebo-controlled double-blind conditions. The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was administered at baseline and at weeks 3 and 7 of treatment, and its usefulness in predicting and/or paralleling clinical response was examined. No correlation was found between baseline DST results and treatment response with antidepressants. Of 13 patients whose abnormal baseline DSTs normalized during treatment, six were responders and seven were nonresponders (P = 0.24). However, all (seven) patients whose DSTs persisted to be abnormal throughout the seven weeks did not respond. The authors conclude that the DST has not been shown to have practical value as an indicator of impending recovery from major depression in the elderly, but its failure to normalize may have ominous prognostic significance.
72名年龄在55岁及以上的门诊重度抑郁症患者，在安慰剂对照的双盲条件下，接受了七周的去甲替林或苯乙肼治疗。在基线以及治疗的第3周和第7周进行了地塞米松抑制试验（DST），并检验了其在预测和/或平行临床反应方面的效用。未发现基线DST结果与抗抑郁药治疗反应之间存在相关性。在13名基线DST异常但在治疗期间恢复正常的患者中，6名有反应，7名无反应（P = 0.24）。然而，所有（7名）在七周内DST持续异常的患者均无反应。作者得出结论，DST尚未被证明作为老年人重度抑郁症即将康复的指标具有实用价值，但其未能恢复正常可能具有不祥的预后意义。
