title: Interleukin-6 as a predictor of symptom resolution in psychological distress: a cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Elevated levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) have been associated with the development of common mental disorders, such as depression, but its role in symptom resolution is unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the association between IL-6 and symptom resolution in a non-clinical sample of participants with psychological distress.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relative to high IL-6 levels, low levels at baseline were associated with symptom resolution at follow-up [age- and sex-adjusted risk ratio (RR) = 1.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06-1.25]. Further adjustment for covariates had little effect on the association. Symptomatic participants with repeated low IL-6 were more likely to be symptom-free at follow-up compared with those with repeated high IL-6 (RR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.03-1.41). Among the symptomatic participants with elevated IL-6 at baseline, IL-6 decreased along with symptom resolution.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IL-6 is potentially related to the mechanisms underlying recovery from symptoms of mental ill health. Further studies are needed to examine these mechanisms and to confirm the findings in relation to clinical depression.
authors.affiliation: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health,Helsinki,Finland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Virtanen
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health,University College London,London,UK.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Shipley
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health,University College London,London,UK.
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Batty
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health,University College London,London,UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hamer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry,University of Oxford,Warneford Hospital,Oxford,UK.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Allan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow,Glasgow,UK.
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry,University of Oxford,Warneford Hospital,Oxford,UK.
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Ebmeier
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health,University College London,London,UK.
authors.forename: T N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Akbaraly
authors.affiliation: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health,Helsinki,Finland.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alenius
authors.affiliation: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health,Helsinki,Finland.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haapakoski
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health,University College London,London,UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singh-Manoux
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health,University College London,London,UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kivimäki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012074:Remission Induction; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology*; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6
keywords: Anxiety; common mental disorders; cytokines; depression; inflammation; interleukin; recovery