Serotonin blood level study, anxiety-depressive states indicators and patients life quality after laparoscopic treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease
Authors: Haidarzhi Ye. I. 
Published: April 2024

Nowadays effective treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) remains a difficult and still unsolved problem. The use of various antisecretory drugs in combination with surgical treatment does not allow to achieve a long lasting improvement of the quality of life and reliable prevention of complications. In this regard, special attention is paid to study humoral factors influencing the pathogenesis of GERD, data on which will improve the results of therapeutic and surgical treatment. It is promising to study the dynamics of serotonin after laparoscopic treatment of various types of GERD, especially in combination with dyspepsia, anxiety or depressive disorders, as well as the possibility of using drugs that affect the metabolism of this hormone to correct the above mentioned disorders and achieve long lasting recovery after laparoscopic fundoplication.
The aim of the work was to study the dynamics of serotonin in the blood during laparoscopic total fundoplication and analyze the correlation of this hormone with the psychological well-being of patients before and after surgical treatment of GERD.
Materials and methods. Laparoscopic fundoplication by Short Floppy Nissen modification was performed in 35 patients with GERD. There were 26 (74.3 %) women, 9 (25.7 %) men. Age – 55.3 ± 11.3. The comparison group consisted of 20 healthy volunteers (women – 14 (70.0 %); men – 6 (30.0 %), average age – 56.7 ± 10.6), who did not undergo surgery. The groups were comparable by gender and age. The studies were carried out in venous blood plasma, samples of which were maintained using standard methods and stored in a low-temperature freezer at a temperature of -80 °C. Tests for serotonin (Serotonin ELISA, RE59121, IBL) were studied on the immunoenzyme complex ImmunoChem-2100 (USA) of the Department of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics in the Zaporizhzhia State Medical and Pharmaceutical University. The concentration of the last indicators was expressed in ng/ml. The presence of concomitant anxiety, depression and level of psychological well-being was assessed using the GAD-7, PHQ-9 and SF-36 questionnaires. Statistical assessment of the research results was carried out using the Statistica for Windows 13 software package (StatSoft Inc., No. JPZ804I382130ARCN10-J). Differences were considered statistically significant at p < 0.05.
Results. The serotonin level in the blood of practically healthy people was 5.8 ± 1.5 ng/ml. In the main group serotonin values before surgical treatment were 3.1 ± 1.3 ng/ml. After surgical treatment the serotonin level increased to 5.4 ± 1.8 ng/ml and was not statistically different from the level of practically healthy patients. The dynamics of serotonin levels correspond to the dynamics of the patients number with signs of anxiety and depression before and after surgery in the main group, as well as the improvement in the psychological state of patients after surgery compared to preoperative data on the scales of the “psychological component” of SF-36 health questionnaire: Vitality (VT), Social Functioning (SF), Role-Emotional (RE), Mental Health (MH).
Conclusions. Laparoscopic crurorrhaphy and fundoplication in the Short Floppy Nissen modification through the mechanism of serotonin helps to improve the psychological state of patients with GERD in the postoperative period, eliminate anxiety and depression, improve quality of life and achieve a lasting antireflux effect. The obtained dynamics of serotonin levels confirms its participation in the formation of behavioral reactions in GERD, helping to improve the results of surgical treatment.