Gender differences in clinical correlates of glucose disturbance in patients with first-episode and drug-naïve major depressive disorder.

Gender differences in glucose metabolism disorders in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) have been rarely studied. In this study we investigated gender differences in the prevalence of glucose metabolism disorders and associated factors in first-episode and drug naïve (FEDN) MDD patients in a Chinese Han population. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 1718 FEDN MDD outpatients were recruited, and demographic and clinical data were collected. All subjects were scored using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) positive subscale to assess clinical symptoms. Female MDD patients were older, present with symptoms at an older age, were more likely to be married and had more psychotic symptoms than male MDD patients. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of glucose metabolism disorders between female patients (14.16%) and male patients (12.59%) (p > 0.05). In both male and female groups, patients with glucose metabolism disorders had higher HAMD score, HAMA score, suicide attempts, and psychotic symptoms than patients without glucose metabolism disorders (all p < 0.05). However, only in female group, patients with glucose metabolism disorders had more severe anxiety symptoms than patients without glucose metabolism disorders. Furthermore, binary logistic regression analysis showed that psychotic symptoms and suicide attempts were independently associated with glucose metabolism disorders in male MDD patients, while suicide attempts and HAMD score was independently associated with glucose metabolism disorders in female MDD patients. Our findings showed no gender differences in the prevalence of glucose metabolism disorders in patients with FEDN MDD. However, there were gender difference in the clinical correlates of glucose metabolism disorders in FEDN MDD patients.