There bipolarity affect between 1 and 2.5% of the French population, i.e. between 650,000 and 1,650,000 people. The disease would cause an average loss of 10 years of life expectancy and the WHO ranks it sixth in terms of disabilities. The diagnosis is currently very long: on average 10 years between the first symptoms and the moment when the appropriate treatment is found, underlines the FondaMental foundation. But it also reveals a way to detect it more quickly, thanks to a blood test.
One of the problems with diagnosing bipolarity is that it can be mistaken for a depressive episode, and it is believed that in the depression would nest 40% of people who would rather suffer from bipolarity. To help them as soon as possible, and not risk giving them treatment that is not appropriate or that worsens their symptoms, it is necessary to be able to distinguish between the two. And it would be possible thanks to a biomarker in the blood.
Inflammatory reaction
The latter is the cytokine assay, as research published in 2021 revealed that there was an implication of immune system dysfunctions in bipolar disorders. However, cytokines result from an inflammatory reaction. “Many works report, in fact, a link between the occurrence of infections occurring very early in life and the occurrence of bipolar disorder”, notes the FondaMental association.
To access this blood test, which still requires scientific validation, you should have consulted a doctor and a depressive disorder has been suspected. It would then allow to know if it is indeed that or if the patient suffers from a bipolar disorder.
