Autoimmune diseases can be associated with depression

ABSTRACT FROM: Andersson NW, Gustafsson LN, Okkels N, et al. Depression and the risk of autoimmune disease: a nationally representative, prospective longitudinal study. Psychol Med 2015;45:3559–69. What is already known on this topic Autoimmune diseases are, according to a previous nationwide Danish register study, associated with a 57% increased subsequent risk of depression (45% after excluding the effect of infections).1 However, no large-scale study has previously investigated the longitudinal associations with autoimmune diseases after the depression diagnosis. Methods of the study Andersson et al investigated the longitudinal association between the date of a first-time hospital contact for depression and the subsequent risk of a first-time hospital contact for autoimmune diseases. The authors used the Danish nationwide registers with virtually complete follow-up of all hospital contacts with depression and autoimmune diseases. A total of 145 217 individuals with a hospital contact for depression were identified during...

Source: Evidence-Based Mental Health - October 20, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Benros, M. E. Tags: Electronic pages Source Type: research