Whole body Hyperthermia for the treatment of depression

Approximately 30% of patients with depressive episodes do not respond to conventional antidepressant medication or develop side effects. As a result, effective new treatments are urgently needed. Mood-enhancing effects of Whole body hyperthermia (WBH) have repeatedly been observed in various fields of medicine (e.g. rheumatology). A recent study by Janssen and colleagues (2016) with a randomized, double-blind and sham-controlled approach, was able to demonstrate a significant, rapid and partially lasting reduction of depressive symptoms in unmedicated patients with MDD following a WBH single session.Two randomized, double-blind, and (sham-) controlled clinical studies are currently conducted by our group in Essen (Germany). Overall, the studies focus on safety and tolerability data and the question whether WBH improves depressive symptoms in patients without any antidepressant treatment (HYPE I trial) or in patients with stable antidepressant treatment but non- or only partial response (HYPE II trial). In each subgroup, patients are randomized to either a verum group with two treatments with WBH in two weeks or a waiting group as controls. Beside response data, immune parameters in the serum of patients will be assessed.Preliminary results regarding safety and tolerability from the first 34 participants (N=16 treatment naive, N=18 non- or partly responder) showed, that WBH was well tolerated in most patients with or without antidepressant treatment. No serious side effects of WBH were observed that would have required further treatment. Overall, the risk for adverse effects during WBH was increased in case of somatic comorbidities.In summary, whole-body hyperthermia appears to be an interesting concept for a non-pharmacological treatment of perhaps subgroups like stress or immune induced depression.