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C‐reactive protein, early life stress, and wellbeing in healthy adults
Author(s) -
Carpenter L. L.,
Gawuga C. E.,
Tyrka A. R.,
Price L. H.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2012.01892.x
Subject(s) - depression (economics) , anxiety , c reactive protein , medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , mood , body mass index , mental health , clinical psychology , psychology , psychiatry , inflammation , nursing , economics , macroeconomics
Carpenter LL, Gawuga CE, Tyrka AR, Price LH. C‐reactive protein, early life stress, and wellbeing in healthy adults. Objective: To determine whether C‐reactive protein (CRP) can serve as a marker for alterations in immune function prior to the manifestation of significant psychiatric and medical disorders. Method: Ninety‐two healthy adults were recruited from the community and determined to be free of psychiatric or medical disorders. The concentration of plasma CRP from a single resting sample was examined in relation to current mental and physical health as well as to self‐reported history of early life adversity. Results: C‐reactive protein showed a significant positive correlation with body mass index (BMI; r = 0.477, P < 0.001). Non‐specific pain, fatigue, and lower overall quality of physical health were all associated with higher CRP concentrations (all P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), after controlling for effect of BMI and other relevant covariates. Subthreshold depression symptoms and other indices of mental/emotional wellbeing were not associated with CRP, nor was CRP significantly linked to any measures of early life adversity. Conclusion: Lower‐quality physical health and wellbeing, but not the presence of mood/anxiety symptoms or early life stress (ELS), were significantly related to plasma CRP. Elevated CRP does not appear to be a fundamental consequence of ELS among healthy adults.