Caesarean Section and the Risk of Postpartal Depression: Is There a Possible Role of Heat Shock Proteins?

Data on the potential connection between surgical stress during caesarean section and the role of heat shock proteins in development of postpartal depression is lacking in the literature. This is a narrative review with a goal to establish the potential role of heat shock proteins during caesarean section and development of postpartal depression. Systemic hyperinflammatory state, such as the one that occurs during surgery, may trigger protective cell reaction, which is usually called the heat shock response. Results of several researches bring strong evidence of correlation between expression of genes coding for family of heat shock proteins with the onset of depressive symptoms. Also, a recent meta-analysis established caesarean section as a risk factor for development of postpartal depression. It is obvious that heat shock proteins play a certain role in development of psychiatric disorders. However, a role of heat shock proteins in development of postpartal depression remains open for debate. We emphasise the need for a randomised control trial which would enable an answer to the mentioned issue.