Eeffects of Colchicine on Depression Scale Scores of Individuals with Chronic Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Introduction: According to the WHO database, cardiovascular disease (CVDs) is still the leading cause of mortality in the world. The prevalence of heart failure (HF) is increasing due to population aging. It has been estimated that HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) accounts for about 50% of all HF cases. Depression is common in HFrEF and associated with adverse outcomes such as reduced adherence to treatment and function, progression of HF, an increased hospitalization rate, and mortality. Since there is a bidirectional interaction between HFrEF and depression, we aimed to evaluate the effects of colchicine on depression scale scores in individuals with HFrEF. Objective: the main purpose of this study was evaluate effects of colchicine administration on reducing depression in patients with HFrEF. Methods: This pilot study is a prospective, parallel-group, randomized clinical trial conducted in the Shahid Madani Heart Center of Tabriz University of Medical Science. A total of 50 eligible patients were randomly divided into intervention (n = 25) and control (n = 25) groups. Patients in intervention group in addition to standard treatment of HFrEF, received 0.5 mg colchicine twice daily for three month and patients in control group only received standard treatment of HFrEF. Baseline demographic and clinical data of patients were recorded in data collection forms. The depression of patients was assessed by the 21 questions of the Hamilton questionnaire at baseline, month 1, and month 3.Results: The results of this study showed that the administration of colchicine for three months’ doses not have a significant effect on reducing patients' depression.Conclusion: According to the results obtained from the study, the use of 0.5 mg of colchicine twice a day along with the standard treatments for HFrEF in the intervention group didn’t have a significant effect on reducing the depression of patients with HFrEF.