• Jonas Forsman, Terhi Keltanen, Benny Liberg, Antti Sajantila, Thomas Masterman, and Katarina Lindroos.
• Jonas Forsman, Gotgatan 78, 11840, Stockholm, Sweden, jonas.forsman@ki.se.
• Croat. Med. J. 2017 Feb 28; 58 (1): 343934-39.

AimTo determine whether antemortem blood levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and glucose predict completed suicide and, by extension, whether markers of glucose metabolism might be associated with a prosuicidal trait or state.MethodFrom consecutively performed autopsies, samples of blood and vitreous humor from 17 suicide victims and 27 non-suicide controls were compared with regard to levels of glucose, lactate, and HbA1c.ResultsMean HbA1c was higher, and mean estimated blood glucose lower, among suicide victims, although tests revealed no significant differences (P=0.171 and P=0.395, respectively). HbA1c levels exceeding 48.0 mmol/mol, which were indicative of persistent hyperglycemia, were twice as common in suicide victims (59% vs 30%; P=0.068).ConclusionThe finding of this pilot study suggest that deranged glucose metabolism may reflect biological events antecedent to, or concomitant with, completed suicide, with the following clinical implications: recurring hyperglycemia due to defective glucose transport, which may give rise to depression and suicidal ideation, and elevated HbA1c levels, which may represent an assayable correlate to neurobiological conditions predisposing to suicide.

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