Does Depression Play a Key Role in Low-Grade Systemic Inflammation? Study Says,

Researchers from King's College, London suggests that new evidence has been found linking depression and low-grade systemic inflammation. The case-controlled study showed that higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers were recorded in depressed subjects compared to their counterparts.

The relationship between depression and inflammation has been heavily debated in recent years. Although the two conditions appear to be closely connected, many scientists argue that inflammation may only play a causal role in depression.

Many diseases linked with inflammation are characterized by the diagnosed patient having a heightened risk of depression. However, it is argued that depression is merely a byproduct of the said illness.

What is Depression?

According to the American Psychiatric Association, major depressive disorder or commonly referred to as depression is a serious medical illness that is more common than people expect. It negatively affects how a person feels, thinks, and acts. In addition, it can cause sadness, loss of interest, and may lead to a wide variety of emotional and physical problems that decreases a person's ability to function at home and at work.

Roughly 16.1 million or 6.7% of American adults from 15 to 45 years old are diagnosed with major depressive disorder and is more prevalent in women than men. Where 1 in 6 people will experience depression in their lifetime. Luckily, this medical condition can be treated

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Understanding the Link Between Depression and Inflammation

Using data collated from the UK Biobank, researchers tracked the health of thousands of patients looking at the association between inflammatory biomarkers named C-reactive protein and depression.

Around 86,000 individuals were included in King's College study with roughly 1/3rd diagnosed with clinical major depressive disorder.

The study published in the journal The American Journal of Psychiatry, entitled "Elevated C-Reactive Protein in Patients With Depression, Independent of Genetic, Health, and Psychosocial Factors: Results From the UK Biobank" showed that CRP levels in depressed subjects were consistently higher than their non-depressed counterparts.

Despite adjusting for clinical and behavioral factors, the team still detected a solid link between the inflammatory biomarker and depression.

Carmine Pariante, senior author of the study explains that the large-scale analysis removed data based on socioeconomic background, unhealthy habits, ill health, genetic predisposition as the sole explanation for the link between depression and inflammation.

The authors of the new study are confident that their findings give new clues on the yet-to-be explained relationship between inflammation and depression. It confirms that CRP levels tend to be higher in patients that reported experiencing depression at some time in their lives.

Despite this, many still argue that there is only a casual relationship between inflammation and depression since other indirect factors can be at play such as obesity and poor sleeping habits.

However, the presence of a link between the two is still undefined people are advised not to attempt their depression with inflammatory medication that will not only be in vain but will pose other medical threats to their wellbeing.