Association of C-Reactive Protein with Mild and Severe Depression

Introduction: Depression is associated with increased serum C-Reactive Protein (CRP) levels in circulation. Inflammatory response is established as an important factor in the pathophysiology of depressive disorders. Increased levels of CRP are associated with Cardiovascular diseases. Aim: The objective of the present study was to assess the changes in circulating CRP level according to severity of depression. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Physiology Department of KGMU, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, with time duration of one year. Study group comprised of 40 drug naïve depressive patients between the age group of 18-40 years enrolled in the study. Diagnosis of depression was based on International Classification of Diseases (ICD10). Patients were divided into two groups (mild depression and severe depression) on the basis of severity of depression accessed via Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (Ham-D). Serum CRP levels were accessed on both groups by commercially available ELISA kit. Results: Statistically insignificant relationship was seen when age (p=0.14), Blood Pressure (BP) {Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) (p=0.102) and Diastolic Blood Presure (DBP) (p=0.270)}, Body Mass Index (BMI) (p=0.539) were compared with both mild and severe depression group. Serum CRP levels and both the depression group (mild depression and severe depression) showed statistically significant relationship (p=0.015). Conclusion: It can be concluded that there exist a significant association of serum CRP levels with severity of depression. Patients with severe depression have lower levels of CRP as compared to patients with mild depressive symptoms