"Dream, Dream, Dream! Conduct these dreams into thoughts, and then transform them into action."
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
"Dream, Dream, Dream! Conduct these dreams into thoughts, and then transform them into action."
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
31 Mar 2017
For treating a patient with depression, the doctors relied on patient questionnaires. Based on that, medicine are selected for treatment of patient.
But, now a more reliable blood test has been discovered which measures a certain type of protein level. It enables the physicians to determine certain type of medicines and more accurate course of treatment, as per media report.
The concerned research was done at UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care by a team led by Dr. Madhukar Trivedi.
Accordingly, the research takes depression treatment beyond a guessing method of prescribing anti-depressants.
But this research enables the Doctors to determine most appropriate medication which is likely to help a depression patient.
During the research, patient’s C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured by finger-prick blood test. This helped doctors prescribe a course of medicines which was more likely to be effective.
The new study determined remission rates of about 100 depressed patients, who were prescribed escitalopram or escitalopram and bupropion. The Doctors found a definite correlation between CRP levels and the drug regimen which improved the symptoms of patients.
The simple blood test for C-reactive protein is likely to go a long way in treating depression, as per the reports appearing in media.
