Are depression and arthritis linked to one another?
| Sep 21, 2018, 11:35 IST
Depression and arthritis are common among elderly people but could there be a link between the two? Researchers at Dartmouth College are among the firsts to see whether depression can cause arthritis. They found that arthritis is more common among depressed patients than those who were not suffering from the mood disorder, suggesting that depression may be a risk factor for arthritis.
Writing about the study, researchers opined, “The biopsychosocial model of chronic pain conceptualizes the physical as well as psychosocial factors (eg, depressive symptoms) of arthritis, which often interact and negatively influence one another to worsen health outcomes.” As part of the study, the researchers compared the prevalence of arthritis in patients with depression of varying levels of severity. They deduced that as depressive symptoms worsened, arthritis became more likely.
Among those with mild depression, arthritis was 55 per cent more common than it was in those without depression. With moderate depression, the risk went up to 62.9 per cent, and 67.8 per cent of those with severe depression also had arthritis.
Writing about the study, researchers opined, “The biopsychosocial model of chronic pain conceptualizes the physical as well as psychosocial factors (eg, depressive symptoms) of arthritis, which often interact and negatively influence one another to worsen health outcomes.” As part of the study, the researchers compared the prevalence of arthritis in patients with depression of varying levels of severity. They deduced that as depressive symptoms worsened, arthritis became more likely.
Among those with mild depression, arthritis was 55 per cent more common than it was in those without depression. With moderate depression, the risk went up to 62.9 per cent, and 67.8 per cent of those with severe depression also had arthritis.
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