Medical disorders in people with recurrent depression.
BACKGROUND
Few studies have examined the rates of physical disorders in those with recurrent depression.


OBJECTIVE
To examine self-reported physical disorders in people with recurrent depression compared with a psychiatrically healthy control group.


METHODS
As part of a genetic case-control association study, 1546 participants with recurrent depression and 884 controls were interviewed about lifetime ever treatment for 16 different physical health disorders.


RESULTS
The cases group had a significantly higher frequency of 14 physical disorders and more obesity than the control group. After controlling for age, gender, body mass index (BMI) and multiple testing, those in the cases group had significantly higher rates of gastric ulcer, rhinitis/hay fever, osteoarthritis, thyroid disease, hypertension and asthma.


CONCLUSIONS
People with recurrent depression show high rates of many common physical disorders. Although this can be partly explained by BMI, shared aetiological pathways such as dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis may have a role.
Farmer
Anne
A
Medical Research Council, Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London, UK. a.farmer@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Korszun
Ania
A
Owen
Michael J
MJ
Craddock
Nick
N
Jones
Lisa
L
Jones
Ian
I
Gray
Jo
J
Williamson
Richard J
RJ
McGuffin
Peter
P
D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D006113:United Kingdom