Association between the Blood-Inflammatory Index with Depression and Anxiety in a Large Population

Mina  Nosrati; Hossein   Hatamzadeh; Amin  Mansoori; Mahsa  Tousi; Shakiba Najjar  Khalilabad; Fateme  Rojoee; Fatemeh  Mohammadyari; Gordon A.  Ferns; Habibollah  Esmaily; Majid  Ghayour-Mobarhan

doi:10.18502/ijph.v54i12.20845

Mina Nosrati International UNESCO Center for Health-Related Basic Sciences and Human Nutrition, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Hossein Hatamzadeh Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Amin Mansoori Department of Applied Mathematics, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran
Mahsa Tousi Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Shakiba Najjar Khalilabad Student Research Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Fateme Rojoee Student Research Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Fatemeh Mohammadyari School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
Gordon A. Ferns Department of Medical Education, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, United Kingdom
Habibollah Esmaily Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Majid Ghayour-Mobarhan International UNESCO Center for Health-Related Basic Sciences and Human Nutrition, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v54i12.20845

Keywords: Depression; Anxiety; C-Reactive protein; Inflammation; Blood

Abstract

Background: Inflammatory indices have been linked to mood disorders. We aimed to examine whether these inflammatory indices are associated with the severity of depression and anxiety as measured by Beck scores.

Methods: This cross-sectional analysis included 9,704 participants aged 35–65 years from the Mashhad Stroke and Heart Atherosclerotic Disorder (MASHAD) cohort study. Depression and anxiety were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Inflammatory indices were calculated based on hematological and biochemical parameters. Multinomial logistic regression was applied to evaluate the associations between inflammatory markers and mood disorder severity.

Results: In cases of severe depression, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), white blood cell (WBC) count, and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels were significantly higher (OR = 1.29, 1.08, and 1.01, respectively; P < 0.05) than in individuals with minimal depression. Serum hs-CRP levels were also significantly higher (OR = 0.98; 95% CI: 0.95–0.99) in participants with moderate anxiety compared with those with minimal anxiety.

Conclusion: Higher levels of depression were associated with increased inflammatory hematological indices, and that the severity of depression was related to elevated levels of NLR, WBC, and hs-CRP.