HIGH-SENSITIVITY C-REACTIVE PROTEIN, POSSIBLE BIOMARKER FOR DEPRESSION IN ELDERLY POPULATION

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Psychiatry
• Immunology

Background:

• The immune system, particularly pro-inflammatory cytokines, plays a role in depression.
• Diagnosing depression in the elderly is challenging due to comorbidities, necessitating biological markers.
• High-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) shows a bidirectional link with cardiovascular disease and depression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the association between major depressive episodes and inflammatory marker levels in an elderly population.
• To identify potential biological markers for depression in older individuals.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 82 outpatients over 65 years old.
• Assessment of depression and anxiety using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
• Collection and analysis of blood samples for inflammatory markers (CRP and hs-CRP).

Main Results:

• No statistically significant correlation was found between anxiety and inflammatory marker levels.
• Elevated levels of both C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) were significantly associated with depressive disorder.
• An almost medium effect size was observed for the association between CRP/hs-CRP and depression.

Conclusions:

• Increased CRP and hs-CRP levels are associated with depression in elderly patients.
• Inflammatory markers were not significantly linked to anxiety in this elderly cohort.
• Further research is needed to validate these findings in older populations.