At first blush, the idea that inflammation during our childhood or adolescence has some type of connection with our adult mental health seems illogical. You may ask yourself this question:
What does swelling in our joints have to do with our emotions?
It’s a valid question, because the two don’t seem connected – at all.
However, a group of researchers noted evidence that indicated that “…low-grade, nonresolving inflammation may predate mental and physical illness…” and initiated a study called “Trajectories of Inflammation in Youth and Risk of Mental and Cardiometabolic Disorders in Adulthood” to explore the possible connection.
Previous research identifies an association between elevated levels of inflammation and mental health disorders, including:
- Depression: read the study here
- Bipolar disorder: read the study here
- Psychosis/psychotic-spectrum disorders: read the study here
- Anxiety disorders: read the study here
Research also identifies an association between elevated levels of inflammation and several physical disorders, including:
- Obesity
- Type 2 diabetes
- Cardiovascular disease
- Insulin resistance
Given that these physical disorders, when viewed alongside mental health disorders, make up a significant share of the resources we allocate to support our overall health – called the global health burden or global disease burden – the research team sought to understand whether inflammation is a primary driver of physical and mental health disorders worldwide.
Inflammation and Mental Health: About the Study
The research team used data on 6,555 people from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a long range health study performed in the United Kingdom. Researcher collected data on circulating levels of c-reactive protein (CRP) among children and adolescents at ages 9,15, and 17, and compared this data with the following outcomes at age 24:
- Depressive disorders
- Anxiety disorders
- Psychotic disorders
The team also analyzed the data for obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and insulin resistance age 24, but in this article, we’ll focus solely on the mental health outcomes.
Here’s what they found:
Early inflammation peak, Age 9:
- Increased depressive disorders
- Increased psychotic disorders
Persistently high inflammation, 9-17:
- No association with mental health disorders
Persistently low inflammation, 9-17:
- No association with mental health disorders
Late inflammation peak, Age 17:
- No association with mental health disorders
The data indicate that elevated levels of c-reactive protein at age 9 – considered midchildhood – is associated with increased risk of developing depressive disorders and psychotic disorders by age 24, but not associated with increased risk of anxiety disorders.
We’ll discuss these results below.
A New Approach to Estimating Risk
We’re aware of and understand the risk factors associated with mental health disorders, and use our standard references and specialized training every day to assess patients for the presence of mental health disorders, and screen for risk of developing mental health disorders in the future.
This research tells us we can add another risk factor for depression and psychotic disorders: elevated levels of c-reactive protein at age 9.
Here’s how the research team characterizes the results:
“Low-grade systemic inflammation peaking in midchildhood was associated with specific mental and cardiometabolic disorders in young adulthood. These findings suggest that low-grade persistent inflammation in early life…could be relevant to future efforts of patient risk profiling.”
This gives us another tool in our toolbox for supporting children, teens, and adults with mental health disorders: CRP tests are relatively inexpensive, and laboratories can return results quickly. We’ll monitor this research thread closely for further developments, and report them here as soon as we learn anything new.
