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Infliximab for Bipolar Disorder Does Not Raise CVD Risk
Adjunctive infliximab did not significantly increase cardiovascular risk measures in patients with bipolar disorder, according to study findings published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.
“Bipolar disorder is characterized by a pro-inflammatory biotype, and is a major cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD),” researchers wrote, “consequently causing elevated rates of morbidity and mortality among individuals with bipolar disorder.”
To investigate the effect of infliximab in the patient population, researchers analyzed data from a 12-week trial assessing the antidepressant effects of adjunctive infliximab treatment in people with bipolar disorder. The study randomized 40 patients without high cardiovascular disease risk at baseline to 5 mg/kg adjunctive infliximab or placebo. Framingham risk scores, mean arterial blood pressure, and total cholesterol were used to gauge changes in cardiovascular disease risk between baseline and week 12.
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According to the study, infliximab had no effect on Framingham risk scores or mean arterial blood pressure compared with placebo. While total cholesterol was also not significantly affected by 12 weeks of adjunctive infliximab, an evaluation across time suggested the effect was significant at week 0 but not week 12.
“The current study highlights the complexity of immune-system targets that influence cardiovascular disease in psychiatric populations,” researchers wrote. “Future studies should include a large scale, combinatorial omnibus biomarker approach to evaluate the immune and vascular link in bipolar disorder.”
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