Major depressive disorder is one of the most prevalent psychiatric illnesses in the world affecting more than 12% of men and more than 21% of women in their lifetime. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are worldwide prescribed to treat depression. SSRIs drugs can cause drug-induced liver injury (DILI).

The aim of the study was to evaluate the liver function in patients treated with SSRI in order to detect DILI.

All the patients with first major depressive episode treated with the same SSRI antidepressant for at least 3 months between September 2013 and September 2015 were entered into the study. The hepatic function panel included aminotransferases, total and direct bilirubin, albumin, total protein, gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), LDH cholesterol, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Of 134 subjects with MDD according to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) who met inclusion criteria, 98 patients entered into study. Seventy-seven (76.5%) were treated with SSRI for at least 3 months with mean age were 45.4 (SD = 6.3), 65 women (66.3%). Five patients (5.1%) were newly diagnosed with hepatitis, and 10 (10.2%) presented elevated values of ALT, AST. The mean duration of depressive symptoms was 9.2 months (SD = 6.9).

The treatment with SSRI seems to be effective and safe in our sample. A relative small number of patients with MDD were diagnosed with viral hepatitis during this cross-sectional study. Further randomized and controlled trials are needed.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.