Association between C-reactive protein (CRP) with depression symptom severity and specific depressive symptoms in major depression

- Higher CRP-levels were associated with greater depressive symptom severity.
- Symptom-specific associations were found among women.
- We were able to adjust for important factors, including BMI and smoking.

IntroductionPopulation-based studies have associated inflammation, particularly higher C-reactive protein (CRP), with depressive severity, but clinical trials in major depressive disorder were rather non-specific without examining the role of gender. We aimed to investigate the association between CRP and overall depression severity including specific depressive symptoms and to examine potential gender differences.MethodsWe included 231 individuals with major depressive disorder from the Genome-Based Therapeutics Drugs for Depression (GENDEP) study. At baseline, we assessed high-sensitivity CRP levels and psychopathology with the Montgomery Aasberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). We performed linear regression analyses to investigate the association between baseline CRP levels with overall MADRS severity and specific symptoms at baseline and adjusted for age, gender, anti-inflammatory and psychotropic drug treatment, body mass index, smoking, inflammatory diseases, and recruitment center.ResultsHigher CRP levels were significantly associated with greater overall MADRS symptom severity (p = 0.02), which was significant among women (p = 0.02) but not among men (p = 0.68). Among women, higher CRP was associated with increased severity on observed mood, cognitive symptoms, interest-activity, and suicidality, but we found no significant associations among men. Interaction analyses showed no significant gender differences on the overall MADRS score or specific symptoms.DiscussionOur results support the sickness syndrome theory suggesting that chronic low-grade inflammation may be associated with a subtype of depression. The potential gender differences in psychopathology may be explained by biological and/or psychosocial factors, e.g. differential modulation of immune responses by sex hormones. Clinical studies should investigate symptom-specific and/or gender-specific treatment guided by peripheral inflammatory markers.