• Madiha Shafi, Fatima Taufiq, Humaira Mehmood, Saeed Afsar, and Ammarah Badar.
• Department of Medical Education, Sindh Rangers Hospital, Karachi.
• J Coll Physicians Surg Pak. 2018 Jun 1; 28 (6): 456-559.

ObjectiveTo determine the relationship between iron deficiency anemia and depressive disorder; and identify the correlation between severity of anemia and depressive disorder.Study DesignDescriptive, analytical study.Place And Duration Of StudyDepartment of Psychiatry and Medical Reception Center, Sindh Rangers Hospital, Karachi (a secondaryhealthcare facility), from January to July 2017.MethodologyDepressive disorder was diagnosed by psychiatrist on ICD 10 criteria and severity of symptoms was assessed on HAM-D rating scale. Hundred cases and equal number of age and gender matched controls were enrolled in the study. A semi-structured proforma was used for documenting the socio-demographic factors and outcome variables. Blood samples were taken for Hemoglobin (Hb) level and peripheral film from both groups.ResultsMedian Hb levels were 11.9 (IQR=1.27)) for depressed patients versus 12.9 (IQR=1.3) for healthy participants. Significant difference between Hb levels of two groups was found (p<0.001), i.e. depressed participants were found to have higher frequency of anemia (73%) as compared to non depressed participants (16%, p=0.001). Spearman rank correlation coefficient for Hb level and depression was -0.429 (p<0.01), showing significant negative correlation. The odds for Hb level were 0.487 (0.37-0.64), which showed that cases are less likely to be found with higher Hb levels as compared to controls (p<0.001).ConclusionThis study concludes that there is relationship between iron deficiency anemia and depressive disorder; and severity of symptoms of DD increases with degree of IDA.

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