Childhood Maltreatment Causes Inflammation And Depression In Adulthood
A history of abuse of neglect in childhood could be associated with
depression and inflammation when reaching adulthood. According to a
report in the April 2008 issue of the Archives of General
Psychiatry, a JAMA/Archives journal, not only is this
association possible but this could also increase cardiovascular risk.
Major depression can affect many parts of the body, according to the
authors: "Major depression is a multisystemic disorder that affects
both brain and bodily functions." Often, depression coincides with
cardiovascular disease, and chronic inflammation, in which the immune
system is over-activated, has been linked to both. They explain:
"However, not all individuals with depression have elevated levels of
inflammation. Those who do could be at highest risk for cardiovascular
disease."
To test the validity of this statement, Andrea Danese, M.D., M.Sc., of
King’s College London, and colleagues examined 1,000 New Zealand
residents who were born between 1972 and 1973. Analyses were performed
every two years between the ages of 3 and 15, and afterwards at 18, 21,
26, and 32 years. Maltreatment in childhood included rejection by the
child’s mother, harsh discipline, physical or sexual abuse, or
disruptive changes in the caregivers. In the childhood years, these
were reported by parents, indicated by objective examinations, and the
reports of the participants themselves as they reached adulthood. When
the participants reached age 32, a physical examination was performed
with the clinical interview to diagnose depression.
Subjects who presently had depression and also displayed a history of
childhood maltreatment were likely to have high inflammation levels at
age 32 — this was assessed by the presence of C-reactive protein in
the blood, a high sensitivity protein related to inflammation. Patients
with depression but who had not been maltreated did not have this
increased risk. The authors explain that this did not seem to be due to
other factors: "The elevated inflammation levels in individuals who
were both depressed
and maltreated were not explained by correlated risk factors such as
depression recurrence, low socioeconomic status in childhood or
adulthood, poor health or smoking."
They conclude with hopes that this will help identify risk factors for
depressed individuals. "Information about experiences of childhood
maltreatment may help to identify depressed individuals with elevated
inflammation levels and, thus, greater risk of cardiovascular disease."
They continue, "In turn, the early recognition of the health risk
associated with maltreatment history might help to address pressing
needs for the care of depressed individuals such as the reduction of
the effect of depression on comorbid [co-occurring] medical illness."
Elevated Inflammation Levels in Depressed Adults With a
History of Childhood Maltreatment
Andrea Danese, MD, MSc; Terrie E. Moffitt, PhD; Carmine M. Pariante,
MD, MRCPsych, PhD; Antony Ambler, MSc; Richie Poulton, PhD; Avshalom
Caspi, PhD
Generic zithromax pills no prescription Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008;65[4]:409-416.
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Written by Anna Sophia McKenney
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