Association between the Blood-Inflammatory Index with Depression and Anxiety in a Large Population

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Immunology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Inflammatory indices are increasingly recognized for their association with mood disorders.
• Previous research suggests a link between inflammation and mental health conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between specific inflammatory indices and the severity of depression and anxiety.
• To determine if inflammatory markers correlate with Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) scores.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional analysis of 9,704 participants (aged 35-65) from the MASHAD cohort study.
• Assessment of depression and anxiety using BDI and BAI.
• Calculation of inflammatory indices from hematological and biochemical parameters.
• Multinomial logistic regression to analyze associations between inflammatory markers and mood disorder severity.

Main Results:

• Severe depression was associated with significantly higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), white blood cell (WBC) count, and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels.
• Moderate anxiety showed significantly higher serum hs-CRP levels compared to minimal anxiety.
• Odds ratios indicated a positive association between these inflammatory markers and depression severity.

Conclusions:

• Higher levels of depression correlate with increased inflammatory hematological indices.
• The severity of depression is related to elevated levels of NLR, WBC count, and hs-CRP.
• Inflammation may be a significant factor in the pathophysiology of depression.