BACKGROUNDDepression is often comorbid with chronic somatic diseases. Few previous studies have investigated the prevalence of somatic diseases in depression or the prescription pattern of antidepressants in comorbidly depressed patients in Asia. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of somatic comorbidity (SC) in depression and compared the prescriptions of antidepressants in depressed patients with and without SC.

METHODSA total of 2320 patients treated with antidepressants in 8 Asian countries were examined, and a diagnosis was based on the International Classification of Disease, 10 th revision. We listed 17 common chronic somatic diseases. Patients' socio-demographic and clinical characteristics and psychotropic drug prescriptions were recorded using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure.

RESULTSOf the patients examined, 1240 were diagnosed with depression and 30% of them (n = 375) had SC. The most common comorbid condition was diabetes (23.7%). The patients with SC were more likely to seek help at a general hospital (74.7% vs. 47.2%), and had a higher incidence of symptoms involving sadness, disturbed sleep, and poor appetite. Noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant was prescribed more for patients with SC than for those without SC (30.4% vs. 22.9%).

CONCLUSIONSSC is common in depressed Asian patients. It is important to strengthen the recognition of depression, especially in general hospitals and when patients report some somatic discomfort. It is also a matter of urgency to establish evidence-based guidelines for the use of new antidepressants in depressed patients with SC.

Adult ; Antidepressive Agents ; therapeutic use ; Asia ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Depression ; drug therapy ; epidemiology ; Drug Prescriptions ; statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence

Background: Nonhuman primates are used for research purposes such as studying diseases and drug discovery and development programs. Various clinical pathology parameters are used as biomarkers of disease conditions in biomedical research. Detailed reports of these parameters are not available for Indian-origin rhesus macaques. To meet the increasing need for information, we conducted this study on 121 adult Indian rhesus macaques (57 wild-sourced and 64 inhouse animals, aged 3–7 years). A total of 18 hematology and 18 biochemistry parameters were evaluated and reported in this study. Data from these parameters were statistically evaluated for significance amongst inhouse and wild-born animals and for differences amongst sexes. The reference range was calculated according to C28-A3 guidelines for reporting reference intervals of clinical laboratory parameters. Results: Source of the animals and sex appeared to have statistically significant effects on reference values and range. Wild-born animals reported higher WBC, platelets, neutrophils, RBC, hemoglobin, HCT, MCV, and total protein values in comparison to inhouse monkeys. Sex-based differences were observed for parameters such as RBCs, hemoglobin, HCT, creatinine, calcium, phosphorus, albumin, and total protein amongst others. Conclusions Through this study, we have established a comprehensive data set of reference values and intervals for certain hematological and biochemical parameters which will help researchers in planning, conducting, and interpreting various aspects of biomedical research employing Indian-origin rhesus monkeys.