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The Red Blood Cell Acetylcholinesterase Levels of Depressive Patients with Suicidal Behavior in an Agricultural Area

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Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Long-term exposure to organophosphate pesticides (OPs) without acute poisoning can lead to various OPs. Environmental exposure to organophosphate pesticides may be associated with depression and suicide attempts in a population living in a rural agricultural area. Patients (n = 149) suffering from major depressive disorder (with and without attempted suicide) and a control group of healthy individuals (n = 64) who had been living in the same rural district for at least 1 year were selected. Red blood cell acetylcholine esterase (RBC-AChE) activity was examined as the basis of evaluating the degree of chronic environmental exposure to OPs residues. There were negative association between RBC-AChE activity levels and suicide attempts, the number of past suicide attempts and hopelessness levels in the depressive patients. The results of the study may support the idea that environmental exposure to OPs may be associated with mental health in individuals living in agricultural districts who are not farmers or working in occupations with access to OPs.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Adnan Menderes University, Aydin, Turkey

    Vesile Altinyazar

  2. Department of Biochemistry, Atatürk Training and Research Hospital, Katip Çelebi University, Izmir, Turkey

    Fevziye Burcu Sirin & Recep Sutcu

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Konya Training and Research Hospital, Konya, Turkey

    Ibrahim Eren

  4. Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, Adnan Menderes University, Aydin, Turkey

    Imran Kurt Omurlu

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  1. Vesile Altinyazar
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  2. Fevziye Burcu Sirin
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Correspondence to Fevziye Burcu Sirin.

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Altinyazar, V., Sirin, F.B., Sutcu, R. et al. The Red Blood Cell Acetylcholinesterase Levels of Depressive Patients with Suicidal Behavior in an Agricultural Area. Ind J Clin Biochem 31, 473–479 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12291-016-0558-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12291-016-0558-9

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