Premium
Do pregnant women with depression have a pro‐inflammatory profile?
Author(s) -
Haeri Sina,
Baker Arthur M.,
Ruano Rodrigo
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.597
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1447-0756
pISSN - 1341-8076
DOI - 10.1111/jog.12017
Subject(s) - medicine , depression (economics) , obstetrics , psychiatry , economics , macroeconomics
Aim We tested the hypothesis that maternal depression is associated with a pro‐inflammatory state in pregnancy. Material and Methods In this nested case–control study, pro‐inflammatory cytokine levels were compared between women with depression in pregnancy ( n = 100) and a computer‐generated referent group of healthy women known not to be depressed ( n = 100). We only included cases with a documented D iagnostic and S tatistical M anual of M ental D isorders depression diagnosis in the current pregnancy. Serum samples drawn at 11–14 weeks of gestation were analyzed for levels of tumor necrosis factor‐alpha and interleukin‐6 using high‐sensitivity immunoassays. Results Maternal demographics were similar between the groups except for older age (34.1 vs 32.7 years, P = .05), and lower body mass index (27.3 vs 28.9 kg/m 2 , P = 0.03) among the depressed subjects. Compared to control women, tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (5.8 ± 3.4 vs 3.2 ± 2.8 pg/ml, P < 0.0001) and interleukin‐6 (2.4 ± 3.8 vs 1.5 ± 1.4 pg/ml, P = 0.03) levels were higher among women with depression. The higher rate of inflammatory cytokines remained significant after controlling for potential confounders, including maternal age and body mass index. Conclusion Women with depression may have higher levels of inflammatory markers in early pregnancy. Our findings support the hypothesis that inflammation may be a mediator in the association between maternal depression and adverse perinatal outcomes.