The Dexamethasone Suppression Test as a Biologic Marker of Depression in Chronic Pain

In an attempt to unravel the relationship between chronic pain & depression, the authors studied a uniform group of 80 chronic back pain patients with & without depression using the dexamethasone suppresion test (DST). In normal subjects the dexamethasone suppresses the release of cortisol from the adrenal glands. In 40% of patients with major depression, there is an early escape of cortisol from dexamethasone depression. 35 ref.