Study suggests some women are genetically more reactive to the environmental factors which trigger depression. One in seven women will experience postnatal depression after the birth of their baby - now
scientists think they could spot those most at risk with a simple, accurate blood test.
Researchers at Warwick Medical School
found women who developed the condition were more likely to have
variants of two receptor genes involved in the body’s stress response.
The discovery could lead to earlier treatment for women who are likely to suffer from post natal depression.
Post natal depression affects one in
seven women and is far more severe than ‘baby blues.’ Mothers may
struggle to bond with their babies and treatment and support are vital
At present women are often diagnosed by
chance if a midwife or relative notices the symptoms, which usually
appear a fortnight after birth. However, many new mothers are unwilling
to admit they are suffering in the mistaken belief the condition means
they are a ‘bad mother.’
Presenting the teams research to the
International Congress of Endocrinology, Professor Dimitris
Grammatopoulos: ‘Current screening policies rely on the opportunistic
finding of PND cases using screening tools such as the Edinburgh
Postnatal Depression Score (EPDS), but such tests cannot identify women
at risk, ahead of them developing the condition.’
The scientists assessed a group of 200
pregnant women for PND using the EPDS, once during their first visit to
the ante-natal clinic, and again two to eight weeks after they had given
birth.
They found that the women who developed
PND were more likely to have a DNA sequence variation in two receptor
genes (the glucocorticoid receptor and the corticotrophin-releasing
hormone receptor-1).
These receptors control the activity of
the hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, which control the activity
of hormones triggered in response to stress.
The finding appears to show that
postnatal depression is a specific subgroup of depression with a
distinct genetic element which means that some women are genetically
more reactive to the environmental factors which trigger depression.
Professor Grammatopoulos said their
study was the first to show a link between the functioning of the HPA
axis and post natal depression.
‘We think that we have made an important
step forward in characterising the prospective risks and are therefore
paving the way for timely, appropriate medical treatment for women who
are likely to develop PND,’ he said.
The team now intend to conduct further
research on other genetic variants of the HPA axis in a larger,
multi-centre study involving women from Coventry, Birmingham, and
London.
PND is a serious condition and quite
different from the ‘baby blues’, which is milder and shorter-lived.
Symptoms include sadness, changes in eating and sleeping patterns,
crying episodes, reduced libido, anxiety and irritability.
Effects on children can be significant;
for example, depressed mothers are less likely to be affectionate
towards and to play with their children and they may use less ‘baby
talk’ which is designed to engage the child’s attention. This may lead
to learning and emotional difficulties for the children in later life.
Although it may seem evident that PND is
caused by some kind of hormonal upheaval the role of the HPA axis in
this form of depression has not been proved until now.
‘We believe that we have made a discovery with important clinical and social implications.
‘If we can identify women likely to
suffer from PND in advance so that they can be treated appropriately and
at an early stage, we will have improved the lives not just of the
parents, but also of their children,’ Professor Grammatopoulos
concluded.
Source- Dailymail.co.uk
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