Relationship of N-Acetyl-B-Glucosaminidase Levels to Seriousness of Suicide Attempts

The authors hypothesized that levels of N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (NAG) would differ between patients making serious versus nonserious suicide attempts. The levels of NAG from 11 patients hospitalized for serious suicide attempts were compared to 5 patients whose suicide attempts were not rated serious. There was a significant difference in the mean NAG levels of the serious suicide attempters & the nonserious attempters (23 versus 52; p=0.01). NAG may be a marker for a biological variable that is associated with the seriousness of a suicide attempt. (10 refs.)