TY - JOUR
T1 - Association between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels and depression
T2 - Moderation by age, sex, obesity, and aerobic physical activity
AU - Cho, Song Heui
AU - Lim, Ji Eun
AU - Lee, Jiseung
AU - Lee, Jee Soo
AU - Jeong, Hyun-Ghang
AU - Lee, Moon-Soo
AU - Ko, Young-Hoon
AU - Han, Changsu
AU - Ham, Byung Joo
AU - Han, Kyu Man
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by a grant from the Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea (K2014081) and by a grant of the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (grant number: HI19C0481, HC19C0307).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2021/8/1
Y1 - 2021/8/1
N2 - Background: Low-grade systemic inflammation evidenced by elevated serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels can be a biomarker for depression. This study aimed to investigate the association between serum hsCRP levels and depressive symptoms and to explore the potential moderating effects of age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and aerobic physical activity on the association. Methods: Data of 10,702 adults (≥ 19 years) were obtained from the nationwide cross-sectional Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys of 2016 and 2018. Significant depressive symptoms were defined as ≥ 10 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and high hsCRP level was defined as > 3.0 mg/L. Results: Adults with high hsCRP levels were more likely to have depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR]: 1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07–1.84) and suicidal ideation (OR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.07–1.80) than those with low hsCRP levels. In the age- and sex-stratified analysis, high hsCRP levels were associated with depressive symptoms in the non-geriatric population (age ≤ 64 years) alone, with a higher OR in males than females. In subgroup analyses, the association between them was observed only among obese adults and adults without aerobic physical activity. Limitations: Causal interpretation is limited due to the cross-sectional design. Conclusions: Our results replicate previous findings of an association between high hsCRP levels and depressive symptoms in adults using a large nationally representative sample. The association between them was more prominent in the non-geriatric population, males, obese adults, and those without aerobic physical activity.
AB - Background: Low-grade systemic inflammation evidenced by elevated serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels can be a biomarker for depression. This study aimed to investigate the association between serum hsCRP levels and depressive symptoms and to explore the potential moderating effects of age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and aerobic physical activity on the association. Methods: Data of 10,702 adults (≥ 19 years) were obtained from the nationwide cross-sectional Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys of 2016 and 2018. Significant depressive symptoms were defined as ≥ 10 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and high hsCRP level was defined as > 3.0 mg/L. Results: Adults with high hsCRP levels were more likely to have depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR]: 1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07–1.84) and suicidal ideation (OR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.07–1.80) than those with low hsCRP levels. In the age- and sex-stratified analysis, high hsCRP levels were associated with depressive symptoms in the non-geriatric population (age ≤ 64 years) alone, with a higher OR in males than females. In subgroup analyses, the association between them was observed only among obese adults and adults without aerobic physical activity. Limitations: Causal interpretation is limited due to the cross-sectional design. Conclusions: Our results replicate previous findings of an association between high hsCRP levels and depressive symptoms in adults using a large nationally representative sample. The association between them was more prominent in the non-geriatric population, males, obese adults, and those without aerobic physical activity.
KW - Depression
KW - High-sensitivity C-reactive protein
KW - Inflammation
KW - Obesity
KW - Physical activity
KW - Suicidal ideation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85108735750&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jad.2021.05.040
DO - 10.1016/j.jad.2021.05.040
M3 - Article
C2 - 34091325
AN - SCOPUS:85108735750
SN - 0165-0327
VL - 291
SP - 375
EP - 383
JO - Journal of Affective Disorders
JF - Journal of Affective Disorders
ER -