Longitudinal change instead of baseline testosterone predicts depressive symptoms

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Psychiatry
• Primary Care Research

Background:

• The link between total testosterone (T) and depression is inconclusive, often based on single measurements.
• Existing research lacks a comprehensive understanding of how T levels influence depressive symptoms over time.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the predictive performance of baseline T and changes in T for developing depressive symptoms and episodes.
• To investigate the longitudinal association between T dynamics and depression in a primary care population.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 6493 primary care patients (DETECT study) with a four-year follow-up.
• Assessed serum T via immunoassay and depressive symptoms using the Depression Screening Questionnaire (DSQ).
• Employed regression models to analyze cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of baseline and changing T levels with depression.

Main Results:

• Baseline T showed no significant association with prevalent or incident depression in either sex.
• In men, an increase in T over one year was linked to a lower burden of depressive symptoms and reduced risk of incident depressive symptoms.
• In women, the association between T change and incident depressive episodes was not significant after adjustments.

Conclusions:

• A sex-specific inverse association exists between T change and depressive symptom burden in men, highlighting the importance of longitudinal T assessment.
• Baseline T levels are not predictive of depression, but dynamic changes in T may serve as a predictor for adverse health outcomes.