The Association Between Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases and Depression: A Two-Sample Bidirectional Mendelian
Psychiatry
|July 24, 2025
Summary
This study found that depression increases the risk of developing certain autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs), but ARDs do not appear to cause depression. Early detection and intervention for ARDs in depressed individuals are recommended.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Psychiatry
- Rheumatology
Background:
- Observational studies suggest a link between depression and autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs).
- The causal relationship between depression and ARDs remains unclear.
- Mendelian randomization (MR) can help infer causality from observational data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential causal relationship between depression and ARDs using a bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) approach.
- To determine if depression causally influences the risk of developing ARDs.
- To assess if ARDs causally influence the risk of developing depression.
Main Methods:
- A two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) study was performed.
- Genetic data for depression and various ARDs were obtained from large-scale public datasets.
- Independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with each condition served as instrumental variables.
- Random-effects inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was the primary analysis, supported by MR-Egger and weighted median methods for robustness.
Main Results:
- Depression was significantly associated with an increased risk of Sjögren's syndrome (OR=1.546), fibromyalgia syndrome (OR=5.000), psoriasis (OR=1.185), and psoriatic arthritis (OR=1.333).
- No significant causal link was observed between depression and rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatic polymyalgia, systemic sclerosis, gout, polymyositis, or Behçet's disease.
- Reverse MR analysis indicated no significant causal effect of any ARD on depression risk.
Conclusions:
- This MR study provides evidence that depression is a risk factor for developing specific ARDs.
- The findings underscore the importance of screening for ARDs in individuals with depression for early detection and intervention.
- Further research is needed to clarify the underlying mechanisms connecting depression and ARDs.
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