Key result
High allostatic load linked to ~127% greater likelihood of major depressive disorder.
Why the study?
The study compared allostatic load levels between patients with major depressive disorder and non-depressed controls, and evaluated whether MDD is associated with allostatic load independent of socioeconomic and lifestyle factors.
Is major depressive disorder associated with higher allostatic load compared to non-depressed controls?
Case-Control (n=405)
No
Is major depressive disorder associated with higher allostatic load compared to non-depressed controls?
Absolute Event Rate: 2.97% vs 3.12%
Patients with major depressive disorder have a significantly higher likelihood of exhibiting clinically significant allostatic load compared to non-depressed controls, emphasizing the importance of monitoring somatic health in this population.
High allostatic load linked to MDD in case-control data; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change practice.
OBJECTIVE: We compared the level of allostatic load (AL) between patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and non-depressed controls using two definitions of AL: continuous AL scores (AL index) and clinically significant high AL (≥4). We examined whether MDD was associated with AL independent of basic socioeconomic (age, sex, cohabiting status and level of education) and lifestyle factors (smoking and alcohol use). METHODS: The MDD patient sample consisted of 177 psychiatric outpatients (mean age 33.7, SD 10.7 years), who were recruited from the Department of Psychiatry at Kuopio University Hospital, Finland, in 2016-19. The non-depressed controls (n = 228, mean age 49.8, SD 10.1 years) lived in the municipality of Lapinlahti, Finland. Ten biomarkers were used to construct the two AL variables. These indicators were systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, creatinine, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI) and C-reactive protein (CRP). RESULTS: The mean AL scores did not significantly differ between MDD patients (2.97) and non-depressed controls (3.12), thus it was not associated with MDD in univariate analysis. In multivariate models a higher AL index was associated with a 1.42 to 1.82 times higher likelihood of belonging to the MDD group. Furthermore, we found that high AL (i.e. AL ≥ 4) was associated with MDD, with the likelihood ranging between 2.27 and 2.96 compared with the non-depressed controls in multivariate models. CONCLUSIONS: Even young adult patients with MDD appear to display clinically significant, high AL compared with non-depressed controls. Thus, it is important to pay attention to the somatic health of depressed patients in addition to their mental health.
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Honkalampi et al. (2021) conducted a case-control in Major depressive disorder (n=405). Major depressive disorder vs. Non-depressed controls was evaluated on Mean allostatic load score. High allostatic load (≥4) was associated with a 2.27 to 2.96 times higher likelihood of major depressive disorder compared with non-depressed controls in multivariate models.
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