Cognitive impairment in euthymia- A comparative study of clinical and treatment variables between bipolar affective disorder patients and normal controls at a tertiary care centre in Kerala

• Published in: Annals of Indian Psychiatry Vol. 3; no. 1; pp. 32 - 38
• Main Authors: Pradip, MeghaAlathukattil, Beevi, KSaibunnisa, Kuttichira, Praveenlal, Antony, JamesT
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2019
• Subjects: Clinical factors; cognitive impairment; comparative study; euthymic bipolar; risk
• ISSN: 2588-8358; 2588-8366
• DOI: 10.4103/aip.aip_50_18

Objective: Several studies have described cognitive impairments in euthymic state of bipolar patients. However, limited studies have established clearly the correlation between clinical variables and cognitive functions, the effect of mood stabilizers on the cognitive performance of euthymic bipolar patients and there are few studies reported from South India. This study aims to assess the cognitive impairments in euthymic state of bipolar patients when compared with normal healthy comparison group and to determine the clinical factors increasing the risk of cognitive impairment in such patients. Materials and Methods: Fifty bipolar patients in the euthymic state confirmed through Young Mania Rating Scale ≤ 6 and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale ≤8 were compared with healthy comparison group on tests for assessing set shifting, verbal learning and memory, attention, short-term memory, and verbal fluency. The clinical variables – age of onset, number of episodes, and duration of illness – were assessed to determine whether it influenced the neurocognitive functions. Results: Euthymic bipolar patients performed worse than the comparison group in the areas of executive functions, verbal learning and memory, attention, short-term memory, and verbal fluency. The duration of illness and frequency of episodes significantly correlated with the neurocognitive deficits. The age of onset and mood stabilizers prescribed also influenced the cognitive functions in these patients. Conclusion: Cognitive impairments are found in bipolar affective disorder patients even in euthymic state. The duration of illness, number of episodes, age of onset, and medications affected the cognitive functions. This calls for prompt and effective management of the bipolar patients.