Gender Differences in Longitudinal Relationships between Depression and Anxiety Symptoms and Inflammation in the Health and Retirement Study

Depression and anxiety disorders affect approximately 30% of the population at some point during the lifespan (Kessler et al., 2005). As reviewed below, a large body of research now links depression and anxiety symptoms (although anxiety has been less commonly studied) with elevated inflammation, which may be one mechanism that explains the higher prevalence of medical illnesses in people with these symptoms. Moreover, inflammation may actually evoke symptoms of depression and anxiety (Dantzer et al., 2008; Miller and Raison, 2016; Slavich and Irwin, 2014).

Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - May 28, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Andrea N. Niles, Mariya Smirnova, Joy Lin, Aoife O ’Donovan Source Type: research