Abstract
Despite increasing evidence for an association between circulating uric acid (UA) and depression, the directionality of this association remains unclear and is potentially moderated by low-grade inflammation. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the cross-sectional association between serum UA concentration and depressive symptoms in Korean individuals with and without low-grade inflammation, as measured using serum high-specific C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels. The final study sample comprised 4188 participants, aged 19–79 years, from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Study 2016. Data on serum uric acid (UA) concentrations, serum hs-CRP levels, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores, and relative covariates were retrieved. Negative binomial regression with adjustment for the complex sample design was used to analyze the associations. After adjusting for covariates, log-transformed serum UA concentrations and total PHQ-9 scores were positively associated (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.34 [95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09–1.66]) for participants without low-grade inflammation and inversely associated (IRR = 0.64 [95% CI = 0.45–0.92]) for participants with low-grade inflammation. In conclusion, the direction of the association between serum UA and depressive symptoms was the opposite in participants with and without low-grade inflammation. The study has the limitation of potential uncontrolled confounders.
Highlights
Despite increasing evidence for an association between circulating uric acid (UA) and depression, the directionality of this association remains unclear and is potentially moderated by low-grade inflammation
There was no significant difference in total Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores between participants with and without low-grade inflammation
The association between serum UA levels and depressive symptoms was reversed by the presence of low-grade inflammation
Summary
Despite increasing evidence for an association between circulating uric acid (UA) and depression, the directionality of this association remains unclear and is potentially moderated by low-grade inflammation. Low-grade inflammation has been thoroughly studied as a potential mechanism of mood disorders, including d epression[14, 15]. These studies tend to exclude participants with high-level inflammatory states like acute infection, since the symptoms of the acute condition itself can manifest like depression. UA’s anti-and pro-oxidant properties in depression might depend on the level of low-grade inflammation. Given this background, the present study sought to clarify the cross-sectional association between UA and depressive symptoms in the Korean general population. We hypothesized that the association between UA and Scientific Reports | (2021) 11:20405
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