Association between C-reactive protein (CRP) with depression symptom severity and specific depressive symptoms in major depression
Abstract
Introduction Population-based studies have associated inflammation, particularly higher C-reactive protein (CRP), with depressive severity, but clinical trials in major depressive disorder were rather non-specific without examining the role of gender. We aimed to investigate the association between CRP and overall depression severity including specific depressive symptoms and to examine potential gender differences.Methods We included 231 individuals with major depressive disorder from the Genome-Based Therapeutics Drugs for Depression (GENDEP) study. At baseline, we assessed high-sensitivity CRP levels and psychopathology with the Montgomery Aasberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). We performed linear regression analyses to investigate the association between baseline CRP levels with overall MADRS severity and specific symptoms at baseline and adjusted for age, gender, anti-inflammatory and psychotropic drug treatment, body mass index, smoking, inflammatory diseases, and recruitment center.Results Higher CRP levels were significantly associated with greater overall MADRS symptom severity (p=0.02), which was significant among women (p=0.02) but not among men (p=0.68). Among women, higher CRP was associated with increased severity on observed mood, cognitive symptoms, interest-activity, and suicidality, but we found no significant associations among men. Interaction analyses showed no significant gender differences on the overall MADRS score or specific symptoms.Discussion Our results support the sickness syndrome theory suggesting that chronic low-grade inflammation may be associated with a subtype of depression. The potential gender differences in psychopathology may be explained by biological and/or psychosocial factors, e.g. differential modulation of immune responses by sex hormones. Clinical studies should investigate symptom-specific and/or gender-specific treatment guided by peripheral inflammatory markers.
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Women with higher CRP levels had an increase in specific depressive symptoms severity such as observed mood, cognitive symptoms, interest-activity, and suicidality.
“Moreover, women with higher CRP levels had an increase in specific depressive symptoms severity such as observed mood, cognitive symptoms, interest-activity, and suicidality [63].”
From C-Reactive protein as a biomarker for major depressive disorder? (2022) · cites this paper as [63]
In 231 individuals with MDD, higher CRP levels were significantly associated with greater overall depressive symptoms severity, which was significant among women but not in men.
“A population-based study investigating the role of gender in the association between CRP levels and depressive severity, recruited 231 individuals (142 female and 89 men) with MDD from the Genome-Based Therapeutics Drugs Depression (GENDEP) study [63]. The subjects were assessed for hs-CRP levels and depression using the Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Findings showed that”
From C-Reactive protein as a biomarker for major depressive disorder? (2022) · cites this paper as [63]
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“While some reports have found greater depressive symptom severity with higher CRP levels in females only (Köhler-Forsberg et al., 2017), others have either reported stronger association of CRP with depressive symptoms in males as compared to females (Tayefi et al.”
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- Authors
- Köhler-Forsberg, O., Buttenschøn, H. N., Tansey, K. E., Maier, W., Hauser, J., Dernovsek, M. Z., Henigsberg, N., Souery, D., Farmer, A., Rietschel, M., McGuffin, P., Aitchison, K. J., Uher, R., & Mors, O.
- Affiliations
- Aarhus University (DK)
- King's College London (GB)
- University of Bonn (DE)
- Poznan University of Medical Sciences (PL)
- University of Zagreb (HR)
- Université Libre de Bruxelles (BE)
- Heidelberg University (DE)
- University of Alberta (CA)
- Dalhousie University (CA)
- Aarhus University Hospital (DK)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Brain Behavior and Immunity
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2017-05
- Volume
- 62
- Pages
- 344-350
- ISSN
- 0889-1591 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2593014017
- Cited by
- 283
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 29 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 49 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 5
- FWCI
- 6.92
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Brain Behavior and Immunity (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Dépôt institutionnel de l'Université libre de Bruxelles (Université Libre de Bruxelles) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- European Commission
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Keywords
- C-reactive protein, major depressive disorder, depression severity, depressive symptoms, inflammation, sex differences, low-grade inflammation, suicidality, cognitive symptoms, sex hormones, immune response
- MeSH terms
- Adult, C-Reactive Protein, Depression, Depressive Disorder, Major, Major Depressive Disorder, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Risk Factors, Severity of Illness Index, Sex Factors, Biomarkers
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