Afridi Muhammad Iqbal, Dogar Imtiaz Ahmad, Nizami Asad T, Aslam Rubina, Mustafa Ali Burhan, Syed Muhammad Sharib, Maheshwary Neeta
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, Karachi, PAK.
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Punjab Medical College, DHQ Hospital, Faisalabad, PAK.
Cureus. 2020 Jan 27;12(1):e6792. doi: 10.7759/cureus.6792.
Background Escitalopram is widely used for the management of the major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, but there is no to very limited data available regarding efficacy and safety in Pakistani patients. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of escitalopram oral drops to manage the major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder in a local cluster within Pakistan. Methods This prospective multicenter observational study was conducted in the department of psychiatry from August 2018 - August 2019. Eighty-five patients meeting the selection criteria were included in the study. Adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients of either gender with generalized anxiety disorder having Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) rate ≥ 10 and major depressive disorder having Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) rate ≥ 7 or patients with co-morbid generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), major depressive disorder (MDD) were selected for the study. We are reporting patients' improvement from baseline, response rate, and remission rate. Data analysis is performed by using SPSS version 21 (IBM Inc, Armonk, USA). Results Among enrolled patients, 42 were adolescents, 22 were adults, and 21 were geriatric. The mean age of an adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients was 14.92 ± 2.04, 44.54 ± 12.08, and 64.61 ± 3.16 years, respectively. Among enrolled patients, the mean change in a total score of HAM-A for anxiety and MADRS for depression were -10.04 ± 4.32 and -17.67 ± 14.42, respectively. At the end of the study, the remission rate and response rate for depression were 82 % and 75%, respectively. Similarly, the remission rate and the response for anxiety were 76% and 81%, respectively. Mean HAM-A and MADRS scores were significantly improved for adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients. Adverse events were reported in eight (9.41%) patients with six having gastrointestinal (GI) disturbance and two having to worsen anxiety. All reported adverse events were of mild severity. Conclusion Escitalopram oral drops are found effective and tolerable in reducing both anxiety and depression over the duration of study in all age groups, including adolescents, adults, and geriatrics.
艾司西酞普兰广泛用于治疗重度抑郁症和广泛性焦虑症，但关于巴基斯坦患者使用该药的疗效和安全性的数据极少或几乎没有。本研究旨在评估艾司西酞普兰口服滴剂治疗巴基斯坦当地某一区域内重度抑郁症和广泛性焦虑症的疗效和安全性。方法：本前瞻性多中心观察性研究于2018年8月至2019年8月在精神科开展。85名符合入选标准的患者纳入研究。入选的患者为患有广泛性焦虑症且汉密尔顿焦虑量表（HAM - A）评分≥10分的各年龄段青少年、成年人及老年人，以及患有重度抑郁症且蒙哥马利 - 阿斯伯格抑郁量表（MADRS）评分≥7分的各年龄段患者，或同时患有广泛性焦虑症（GAD）和重度抑郁症（MDD）的患者。我们报告了患者自基线起的改善情况、缓解率和有效率。使用SPSS 21版（美国纽约州阿蒙克市IBM公司）进行数据分析。结果：在纳入研究的患者中，青少年42例，成年人22例，老年人21例。青少年、成年人及老年人的平均年龄分别为14.92±2.04岁、44.54±12.08岁和64.61±3.16岁。在纳入研究的患者中，焦虑的HAM - A总分平均变化为 - 10.04±4.32，抑郁的MADRS总分平均变化为 - 17.67±14.42。研究结束时，抑郁症的缓解率和有效率分别为82%和75%。同样，焦虑症的缓解率和有效率分别为76%和81%。青少年、成年人及老年人的HAM - A和MADRS平均得分均有显著改善。8例（9.41%）患者报告了不良事件，其中6例有胃肠道不适，2例焦虑加重。所有报告的不良事件均为轻度。结论：在包括青少年、成年人及老年人在内的所有年龄组中，在研究期间，发现艾司西酞普兰口服滴剂在减轻焦虑和抑郁方面有效且耐受性良好。
