Association between albumin and depression: a population-based study.

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Clinical Medicine
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Albumin is a key plasma protein with vital physiological functions.
• Low serum albumin has been associated with depression in specific clinical populations.
• Limited research exists on the serum albumin-depression link in community-dwelling individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between serum albumin levels and depression in a population-based sample.
• To determine if this relationship is influenced by confounding factors.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from a 2017 national household population study of 3,521 Jordanians aged >17.
• Employed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for depression screening.
• Analyzed serum albumin concentrations and other biomarkers using blood tests and multivariate logistic regression.

Main Results:

• Higher quartiles of serum albumin showed significantly lower odds of depression (ORs 0.64-0.66, P<0.001).
• The inverse association persisted after adjusting for demographic, occupational, nutritional, comorbidity, and biomedical factors (ORs 0.58-0.75).
• A significant linear decline in depression odds was observed with increasing serum albumin quartiles (P trend <0.001).

Conclusions:

• An inverse relationship exists between serum albumin and depression in the general population.
• Serum albumin may serve as a potential warning marker for depression.
• Further research is needed to confirm its utility in clinical interventions.