Articulo bioematematicas

Suicide attempt, smoking, comorbid depression, and platelet serotonin in alcohol dependence
Korona Nenadic-Sviglina, Gordana Nedicb, Matea Nikolacb, Dragica Kozaric-Kovacicc, Tamara Stipcevicb,Dorotea Muck Selerb and Nela Pivacb, ,
a Center for Alcoholism and other Addictions, Psychiatric Hospital Vrapce, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
b Division for Molecular Medicine, Laboratory for MolecularNeuropsychiatry, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, HR-10002 Zagreb, Croatia
c Department of Psychiatry, Referral Centre for the Stress Related Disorders, University Hospital Dubrava, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaReceived 18 December 2009; 
revised 10 September 2010; 
accepted 8 November 2010. 
Available online 17 December 2010.

Abstract
The risk of suicide in patients with alcoholism increases ifalcoholism is related to comorbid depression. Both alcoholism and suicidal behavior are associated with reduced serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) function. Because suicide is enormous public healthproblem worldwide, to prevent suicide attempts, it is important to find peripheral marker of suicidal behavior. The aim of this study was to assess whether platelet 5-HT concentration is altered inalcoholic patients with or without suicide attempt. Platelet 5-HT concentration was evaluated in 397 male and 108 female ethnically homogenous medication-free patients with alcoholism, subdividedaccording to smoking status, comorbid depression, and a history of suicide attempt and in 450 male and 139 female healthy control (nonsuicidal) subjects. Suicide attempt was assessed by two measures:according to the score 4 on the item 3 from the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and according to the Structured Clinical Interview regarding suicidal attempt during lifetime. Both male and femalepatients with alcoholism who were nonsmokers had significantly lower platelet 5-HT concentration than the corresponding healthy subjects. Multifactor analyses of variance revealed the significant effects...