Factors associated with low bone density among women with major depressive disorder

Previous studies have suggested that depression might be associated with low bone mineral density (BMD) in women with depression. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the BMD of women with major depressive disorder and correlated factors.

This prospective cross-sectional study explored the association between bone density and major depressive disorder in women. One hundred women diagnosed with major depressive disorder were enrolled. The diagnoses were made by board-certificated psychiatrists using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was administered. The bone density of the hip was measured with dual X-ray densitometry (DEXA) using a Hologic Delphi QDR-2000 densitometer.

We found age, family history of osteoporosis, consumption of coffee, and consumption of tea to be associated with low BMD in single-variate analysis. Depression was also related to BMD, in that the worse the depression, the lower the BMD. Multi-variate analysis by linear regression revealed an equation of BMD = 0.91 - 0.004 x (severity of depression) + 0.07 x (tea consumption)--0.06 x (family history of osteoporosis)--0.04 x age.

These results suggest that depression is associated with lower BMD, and the associated factors should be considered in depressive women. The findings of this research may be useful for improving the care of women with major depressive disorder in terms of developing appropriate and effective care plans.