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Interleukin-6 as a predictor of symptom resolution in psychological distress: a cohort study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 February 2015

M. Virtanen ,
M. J. Shipley ,
G. D. Batty ,
M. Hamer ,
C. L. Allan ,
G. D. Lowe ,
K. P. Ebmeier ,
T. N. Akbaraly ,
H. Alenius  and
R. Haapakoski
...Show all authors
M. Virtanen*
Affiliation:
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland
M. J. Shipley
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK
G. D. Batty
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
M. Hamer
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK
C. L. Allan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
G. D. Lowe
Affiliation:
Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
K. P. Ebmeier
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
T. N. Akbaraly
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK Inserm, U1198, Montpellier, France EPHE, Paris, France University Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France
H. Alenius
Affiliation:
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland
R. Haapakoski
Affiliation:
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
A. Singh-Manoux
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK Inserm, U1018, AP-HP, Villejuif, France
M. Kivimäki
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK
*
*Address for correspondence: M. Virtanen, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, FI-00250 Helsinki, Finland. (Email: marianna.virtanen@ttl.fi)
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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.

Method

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.

Keywords

Anxietycommon mental disorderscytokinesdepressioninflammationinterleukinrecovery
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 45 , Issue 10 , July 2015 , pp. 2137 - 2144
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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