ICJEM
Intercontinental Journal of Emergency Medicine

The Intercontinental Journal of Emergency Medicine aims to publish issues related to all fields of emergency medicine and all specialties involved in the management of emergencies in the hospital and prehospital environment of the highest scientific and clinical value at an international level and accepts articles on these topics.

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Original Article
Essential amino acids levels in individuals that attempted suicide
Abstract
Aims: In our study, plasma essential amino acid levels were analyzed in patients with depressive mood by comparing patients who applied to the emergency room after a suicide attempt with the control group. It was aimed to contribute to the literature by monitoring the changes in these amino acid levels and producing solutions.
Methods: Plasma/serum samples obtained from the control group and the patient group were taken from -80°C where they were stored and thawed, and all amino acid levels in plasma/serum were measured with Q-TOF LC/MS device. Kolmogorov-Simirnov, Man Whitney U test and Chi square test were used in the evaluation of the data and the error level was taken as 0.05. In this study, alfa= 0.05; When ß= 0.10 and (1- ß)= 0.90, it was decided to include 35 individuals in each group and the power of the test was found to be p=0.90744.
Results: When the essential amino acids were examined in general, in the comparison made between the patient and control groups, methionine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, lysine, threonine, phenylalanine and tryptophan amino acids were found to be significantly low in the patient group (p<0.05). However, no statistically significant difference was found in the comparison made between the two groups for histidine amino acid (p=0.405; p>0.05).
Conclusion: In our study, it was concluded that suicidal behavior was more common in female gender and people with low socioeconomic status. Among the essential amino acids taken through nutrition, a significant decrease was found in this study, especially in amino acids that are precursors of important neurotransmitters (serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, etc.) that affect mood. At the same time, significant decreases were detected in amino acids that affect the skeletal-muscular system and play an active role in energy metabolism.

Keywords : Suicidal behavior, amino acid, nutrition

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Article available in :
Volume 3, Issue 3, 2025
Page : 58-61
https://doi.org/10.51271/ICJEM-0060
Article Information
Received : 07 Jul 2025
Accepted : 08 Sep 2025
Published : 23 Sep 2025
Corresponding Author :

Tansu Gençer: Department of Emergency Medicine, Sivas Örnek Hospital, Sivas, Turkiye

[email protected]
Citation : Gençer T, Tekin YK. Essential amino acids levels in individuals that attempted suicide. Intercont J Emerg Med. 2025;3(3):58-61.

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