acyclovir and Depressive-Disorder

To study an effect of immunomodulatory therapy with cycloferon on some immunological parameters in patients with depression.. It was examined 192 patients with recurrent depressive disorders. All patients were randomized into two groups -- main group (98 patients) and comparison group (94 patients). Both groups received standard treatment with antidepressants and antipsychotics in ambulatory conditions. Patients of the main group additionally received cycloferon.. Before treatment, there was an increase in concentrations of circulatory immune complexes (CIC), mainly due to most pathogenic average molecular (11S-19S) and small molecular (<11S) fractions, in both groups of the patients. A direct correlation between the degree of the severity of the disease and the degree of changes in immunological parameters was noted.. Inclusion of cycloferon in the complex treatment had a positive effect on immunological parameters and led to the normalization of CIC levels and their fraction content.

Topics: Acyclovir; Adult; Antigen-Antibody Complex; Depressive Disorder; Female; Humans; Immunomodulation; Male; Recurrence

Follow up of cognitive sequelae of acute encephalitis and estimation of the frequency of persisting dementia.. Out of a series of 45 consecutive patients with acute encephalitis prospectively studied in 1990-95, 40 were screened for difficulty in everyday life using the Blessed dementia scale (BDS) 3.7 (1.4), mean (SD), years after onset. Eight patients had had herpes simplex encephalitis (HSVE), 16 some other identified aetiology, and in 21 the aetiology was unknown. All, except two patients with a nonherpetic encephalitis, were treated with acyclovir. All patients with disability in BDS (12/40), were invited to a neuropsychological reassessment, and the results of this assessment were compared with those of a similar assessment done after the acute stage. At follow up one patient could not complete the tests due to intractable epilepsy.. In six of 11 cases the symptoms causing disability were mainly psychiatric. Five patients (two with HSVE) had a pronounced memory impairment together with other cognitive deficits, indicating dementia (frequency of 12.8%). In eight of the 11 testable cases cognitive performance had improved over the years, in two cases a decline was found and one patient with severe deficits showed no change. Intractable epilepsy was found in four of 12 cases.. Cognitive decline had taken place already at the acute stage, and further deterioration was uncommon. Considerable improvement occurred in most patients during follow up. Also in patients with HSVE treated with acyclovir the cognitive recovery was substantial and of a magnitude not expected based on previous literature. Intractable epilepsy contributed to the cognitive deterioration in some cases. Affective disorders also had a surprisingly important role for the long term outcome.

Topics: Acute Disease; Acyclovir; Adult; Aged; Antiviral Agents; Cognition Disorders; Depressive Disorder; Encephalitis, Viral; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Prospective Studies; Severity of Illness Index

Psychiatric side-effects associated with acyclovir therapy are very rare in the medical literature. We present a case of depression with paranoid delusions in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia that appeared after intravenous acyclovir treatment for herpes simplex infection. The clinical picture resolved following discontinuation of acyclovir and treatment with haloperidol and maprotiline. The patient's status was intact at an eight-month follow-up check. The few reports of psychiatric disorders due to acyclovir are reviewed and discussed.

Topics: Acyclovir; Depressive Disorder; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Psychoses, Substance-Induced