Mellsop G W, Hutton J D, Delahunt J W
Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1985 Jun 15;290(6484):1804-6. doi: 10.1136/bmj.290.6484.1804.
Non-suppression of cortisol by dexamethasone has been described as a biological marker of a diagnostic subgroup of depressed patients. This paper presents the hypothesis that the degree of non-suppression is a variable that reflects the quantity of stress or distress experienced by the patient rather than relating to a specific diagnosis. Such a quantitative measure of stress would be valuable for research in general medicine as well as in psychiatry. Testing of this postulate should apply a more precise interpretation of endocrine principles than has been applied to the dexamethasone suppression test to date.
地塞米松不能抑制皮质醇已被描述为抑郁症患者一个诊断亚组的生物学标志物。本文提出一个假说,即不抑制程度是一个变量,它反映患者所经历的压力或痛苦的量,而非与特定诊断相关。这样一种压力的定量测量对于普通医学以及精神病学的研究都将是有价值的。对这一假设的检验应该比迄今为止应用于地塞米松抑制试验的内分泌学原理有更精确的解释。