Introduction: Since there is a bidirectional interaction between heart failure (HF) and depression, we aimed to evaluate the effects of colchicine on depression scale scores in individuals with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).
Methods: A randomized clinical trial was carried out on 50 patients with HFrEF. The intervention group (n=25) received colchicine 0.5 mg twice a day plus standard care for HFrEF, while the control group (n=25) received only standard care. The study's primary outcome was the changes in the 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-21) over 12 weeks.
Results: During the study period, HDRS-21 significantly decreased in both groups (both P<0.05); however, there were no significant differences between the study groups at baseline (12.2±2.9 vs. 10.5±2.9; P=0.54), week 4 (6.6±2 vs. 5.8±4.7; P=0.21), and week 12 (2.1±2 vs. 4.2±4.5; P=0.11).
Conclusion: This study shows that colchicine had no significant effect on HDRS-21 in individuals with HFrEF. Further studies are warranted to confirm the study hypothesis.
Keywords: Clinical trial; Colchicine; Depression; HFrEF; Heart failure.
© 2025 The Author(s).