Association between high sensitivity CRP and suicidal ideation in the Korean general population

Inflammation has been linked with a potential critical role in suicide. The purpose of this study is to examine the relation of CRP with suicidal behavior in the Korean population. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 4693 Korean adults aged 20-81 years who participated in the 2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. High sensitivity CRP levels were measured by immunoturbidimetric method. Suicidal ideation and suicide attempt were assessed by using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed in 2017. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to compute odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The prevalence of suicidal ideation was 4.9% and that of suicide attempt was 0.4%. Suicidal ideation was more prevalent in the highest compared with the lowest serum CRP quartile (OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.11-2.89) after adjustment for age, sex, household income, educational level, marital status, employment status, alcohol dependency, current smoking, physical activity, BMI, sleep duration, number of chronic diseases, restriction on activity, subjective health status, perceived stress, depression and depressive mood (p for trend<0.05). In conclusion, elevated levels of CRP were associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation among South Korean adults.