CLINICAL CONSEQUENCES OF SENSITIZATION IN AFFECTIVE-DISORDER - A CASEREGISTER STUDY

Clinically derived measures of the initial course of episodes might re flect a process of sensitisation in affective disorder. However, the c linical consequences of such measures have not been investigated. The predictive effect of measures of the initial course of episodes was in vestigated in relation to the subsequent risk of alcoholism, dementia, death and suicidal attempts/suicide in a case register study includin g all hospital admissions with primary affective disorder in Denmark f rom 1971 to 1993. A total of 8737 patients with more than one episode were included in the analyses. A short period between initial episodes of the illness, reflecting a great intensity of illness, predicted in creased risk of subsequent development of dementia, and for unipolar p atients, decreased risk of subsequent alcoholism. Surprisingly, a prog ressive course, with decreasing intervals between initial episodes of the illness, had no predictive effect. Similarly, no predictive effect s on the risk of death or suicidal acts could be demonstrated with any measure of the initial course of episodes. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.