title: Mild depressive symptoms are associated with elevated C-reactive protein and proinflammatory cytokine levels during early to midgestation: a prospective pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We examined depressive symptoms, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels during early to-midgestation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured depressive symptoms on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and serum CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α levels twice in 27 pregnant women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjustment, depressive symptoms prospectively (β=0.42, p<0.05 at 16-20 weeks of gestation) and concurrently (β=0.54, p<0.01 at 7-10 weeks of gestation) predicted elevated CRP [F (2, 14)=9.20, p=0.003, R(2)=0.57 and F (3, 15)=9.08, p=0.001, R(2)=0.64, respectively]. There were similar patterns of results for TNF-α (β=0.72, p<0.01) and IL-6 levels (β=0.39, p<0.05) at 7-10 weeks of gestation [F (2,19)=8.84, p=0.002, R(2)=0.48]. Furthermore, the association between depressive symptoms at 7-10 weeks of gestation and increased IL-6 levels at 16-20 weeks of gestation approached statistical significance. We confirmed the findings with the Wilcoxon signed rank test (IL-6: Z=2.44, p=0.015; TNF-α: Z=1.94, p=0.05; CRP: approached statistical significance).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These pilot data suggest that depressive symptoms may be associated with inflammatory markers during early to-midgestation.
authors.affiliation: Psychobiology of Stress & Health Lab, Psychology Department, Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada. razar@mta.ca
authors.forename: Rima
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Azar
authors.forename: Darren
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mercer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000502:physiology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D018746:Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D015850:Interleukin-6; D002097:C-Reactive Protein