Adults with depression may develop chronic conditions 30% faster: Study

A study reveals adults with depression develop chronic conditions like osteoarthritis and hypertension 30% faster than those without.

Adults with depression could develop chronic conditions, such as osteoarthritis and hypertension, 30 per cent faster as compared to those with no history of the mental disorder, according to a study that suggested physical effects of the mental condition. Researchers, led by those from the University of Edinburgh, UK, said that treating depression should, therefore, involve methods that help manage both mental and physical health.

The mental disorder, marked by a persistent low mood, is known to heighten one's chance of developing heart disease or diabetes, with previous studies having looked at a patient's risk of developing a small number of illnesses, according to the authors.

Depression increases risk of chronic illnesses

However, the study, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, examined people with a history of depression for their risk of developing 69 physical conditions. Over 1.7 lakh people from the UK Biobank were followed for an average of about seven years.

The team noted that those with depression had an average of three physical conditions, hypertension being the most common, compared with an average of two in those without. Over the study period, the participants with a history of depression developed an average of 0.2 additional physical conditions a year, while those without accrued 0.16.

"The most common new conditions were osteoarthritis (15.7 per cent of those with depression at baseline vs 12.5 per cent without), hypertension (12.9 per cent vs 12 per cent) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (13.8 per cent vs 9.6 per cent)," the authors wrote. The results revealed that a history of depression could be a marker indicating a risk of developing physical conditions in the long term.

Need for holistic mental and physical health car

The team added that while most healthcare systems are designed to treat conditions individually rather than individuals with multiple conditions, approaches combining methods to manage mental and physical health could improve outcomes.

Risk factors, such as smoking, high body mass index and low physical activity, could also contribute to how quickly an individual with depression develops physical conditions in middle- and old age, which present opportunities for improving future health, the authors said.

About 18 per cent of the study group had a history of depression at the start of the study. Widespread pain in the body, sleeplessness, stressful life events, loneliness and obesity were more common among these participants compared to those without depression.