Study Finds Link Between Arthritis and Depression in Older People

A study published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry has found arthritis to be more prevalent in older U.S. adults with depression, reports Personnel Today . The investigators examined the physical and mental health of 4,792 people aged 50 or older, 43.7 percent of whom had been formally diagnosed with arthritis. Arthritis rates were lowest in participants with no depression, with only 38.2 percent having received an arthritis diagnosis. Meanwhile, arthritis was diagnosed in 55 percent of those claiming to have "minor" depression, 62.9 percent of those with "moderate" depression, and 67.8 percent reporting "severe" depression. Suggested reasons for the link between arthritis and depression include the likelihood of arthritis being a disabling condition, higher probability of people with arthritis worrying about potential treatment and rehabilitation outcomes, poor coping strategies and reduced physical activity, and a "common biological mechanism" such as a neuroimmune issue, causing inflammation that compounds arthritic symptoms. "Notably, there were significant associations between moderate depression and arthritis, even after adjusting for age, gender, race, education, smoking status, binge drinking, sedentary behavior, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease," the researchers concluded. "These findings suggest that moderate depression and arthritis tend to co-occur among older adults, independent of other factors that are known contributors to both depression and arthritis."