Journal of Research in Applied and Basic Medical Sciences

en Study of Serum Vitamin D Level and its Relationship with Depression in Patients Visiting the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Tertiary Care Hospital, Nepal: A Case-Control Study عمومى General Background & Aims: An estimated 350 million individuals worldwide suffer from depression, making it a widespread ailment. The mapping of vitamin D receptors in the brain suggests that vitamin D plays a function in psychosomatic illnesses like depression. Limited information exists on vitamin D status and depression in the Nepalese population. The present study aimed to determine the level of vitamin D in patients with depression and compare it with normal individuals. Similarly, it aimed to find out how the level of vitamin D varies with the severity of depression. Materials & Methods: The case-control study was conducted at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH), in Kathmandu, Nepal. In this study, 85 depressive patients and 85 age-sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled. Vitamin D was assessed in the Department of Biochemistry with the Electro-Chemiluminescent Immune Assay (E-CLIA) method. The data were entered into the Microsoft Excel program. Statistical analyses were performed with SPSS software 17.0 version. The mean comparison, group association, and correlation were determined by using t-test, Chi-square test, and Pearson’s correlation, respectively. A probability of < 0.05 was accepted as significant. Results: The level of vitamin D in patients with depression was found to be significantly lower than that in healthy controls. Likewise, the level of vitamin D was found to vary with the severity of depression; with severe depression, the level of vitamin D was the lowest and the result was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). Similarly, the level of vitamin D was found to be significantly lower in subjects having suicidal tendencies (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The cause-and-effect link between depression and vitamin D deficiency is unclear, but their coexistence in the Nepalese community raises public health concerns. Recognizing those at risk and taking early action is crucial, as severe depression is a potential risk factor for suicidal thoughts.   Case-Control Study, Depression, Suicidal Tendencies, Nepal, Vitamin D 4 12 http://ijrabms.umsu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-306-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Shantos Subedee shantossubedee@gmail.com 10031947532846002449 0009-0002-4048-118X Yes National Public Health Laboratory, Teku, Kathmandu, Nepal Gaurab Pandey pandeygaurab67@gmail.com 10031947532846002450 10031947532846002450 No National Public Health Laboratory, Teku, Kathmandu, Nepal Kiran Poudel poudelkiran54@gmail.com 10031947532846002451 0009-0007-0040-1380 No National Public Health Laboratory, Teku, Kathmandu, Nepal Krishna Prasad Jaishi krishnaprasadj975@gmail.com 10031947532846002452 0009-0006-5934-3210 No National Public Health Laboratory, Teku, Kathmandu, Nepal