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Association of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein with de novo major depression

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journal contribution
posted on 2010-11-01, 00:00 authored by Julie PascoJulie Pasco, G Nicholson, Lana WilliamsLana Williams, Felice JackaFelice Jacka, Margaret Rogers, Mark KotowiczMark Kotowicz, H Schneider, B Leonard, Michael BerkMichael Berk
Background: Although there is cross-sectional evidence that changes in the immune system contribute to the pathophysiology of depression, longitudinal data capable of elucidating cause and effect relationships are lacking.

Aims: We aimed to determine whether subclinical systemic inflammation, as measured by serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) concentration, is associated with an increased risk of de novo major depressive disorder.

Method: Major depressive disorder was diagnosed using a clinical interview (SCID-I/NP). This is a retrospective cohort study; from a population-based sample of 1494 randomly selected women recruited at baseline during the period 1994-7, 822 were followed for a decade and provided measures of both exposure and outcome. Of these women, 644 (aged 20-84 years) had no prior history of depression at baseline and were eligible for analysis.

Results: During 5827 person-years of follow-up, 48 cases of de novo major depressive disorder were identified. The hazard ratio (HR) for depression increased by 44% for each standard deviation increase in log-transformed hsCRP (ln-hsCRP) (HR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.04-1.99), after adjusting for weight, smoking and use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Further adjustment for other lifestyle factors, medications and comorbidity failed to explain the observed increased risk for depression.

Conclusions: Serum hsCRP is an independent risk marker for de novo major depressive disorder in women. This supports an aetiological role for inflammatory activity in the pathophysiology of depression.

History

Journal

British journal of psychiatry

Volume

197

Issue

5

Pagination

372 - 377

Publisher

Royal College of Psychiatrists

Location

London, England

ISSN

0007-1250

eISSN

1472-1465

Language

eng

Notes

This is an author-produced electronic version of an article accepted for publication in the British Journal of Psychiatry. The definitive publisher-authenticated version is available online at http://bjp.rcpsych.org

Publication classification

C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2010, Royal College of Psychiatrists

Related work

DU:30042980

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