Cytokines interferon-γ- inducible protein 10 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor are associated with psychiatric symptoms in opioid-dependent patients: A cross- sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Psychiatric disorders and chronic hepatitis virus C infection are known to alter blood cytokines levels. However, little is known about the association between cytokines and psychiatric symptoms in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection. This study aimed at exploring this association. Moreover, since nearly half of the patients receive opioid maintenance treatment, we also investigated if long-term opioid treatment had any impact on these associations.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study on 120 outpatients referred for antiviral hepatitis C treatment. Serum level of 27 cytokines was measured using multiplex technology, and psychiatric symptom clusters were assessed using the Symptoms Check-List-90-R. Data on confounding factors including age, gender, weight, height, current medication and smoking habits were collected. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to examine associations, adjusting for confounding factors.

RESULTS

After adjusting for the most commonly known confounding factors, IP-10 and GM-CSF were negatively associated with depression, and GM-CSF was negatively associated with phobic anxiety. Subgroup analyses revealed that these associations were present only in patients receiving opioid maintenance treatment, as demonstrated by repeated regression analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with chronic hepatitis C viral infection, only IP-10 and GM-CSF were negatively associated with self-reported psychiatric symptom clusters. These associations were observed exclusively in patients receiving opioid maintenance treatment. Our study contributes to others investigations pointing to a possible immune dampening caused by long-term opioid treatment.