Associations between depressive symptom profiles and immunometabolic characteristics in individuals with depression and their siblings

The present study examined associations between immunometabolic characteristics (IMCs) and depressive symptom profiles (DSPs) in probands with lifetime diagnoses of depression and/or anxiety disorders and their siblings. Data were from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety, comprising 256 probands with lifetime diagnoses of depression and/or anxiety and their 380 siblings. Measured IMCs included blood pressure, waist circumference, and levels of glucose, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, CRP, TNF-α and IL-6. DSPs included mood, cognitive, somatic and atypical-like profiles. We cross-sectionally examined whether DSPs were associated with IMCs within probands and within siblings, and whether DSPs were associated with IMCs between probands and siblings. Within probands and within siblings, higher BMI and waist circumference were associated with higher somatic and atypical-like profiles. Other IMCs (IL-6, glucose and HDL cholesterol) were significantly related to DSPs either within probands or within siblings. DSPs and IMCs were not associated between probands and siblings. The results suggest that there is a familial component for each trait, but no common familial factors for the association between DSPs and IMCs. Alternative mechanisms, such as direct causal effects or non-shared environmental risk factors, may better fit these results.

本研究旨在探讨免疫代谢特征（IMCs）与抑郁症状谱（DSPs）之间的关联，研究对象为患有终身抑郁和/或焦虑障碍的病例及其兄弟姐妹。数据来源于荷兰抑郁焦虑研究，包括256名患有终身抑郁和/或焦虑病例及其380名兄弟姐妹。测量的IMCs包括血压、腰围以及血糖、甘油三酯、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇、C反应蛋白、肿瘤坏死因子-α和白细胞介素-6水平。DSPs包括情绪、认知、躯体和类非典型症状谱。我们采用横断面研究方法，考察DSPs是否与病例及其兄弟姐妹的IMCs相关，以及DSPs是否与病例及其兄弟姐妹之间的IMCs相关。在病例及其兄弟姐妹内部，较高的BMI和腰围与较高的躯体和类非典型症状谱相关。其他IMCs（如IL-6、血糖和高密度脂蛋白胆固醇）与DSPs在病例或兄弟姐妹内部均有显著相关性。DSPs和IMCs在病例与兄弟姐妹之间未见关联。结果表明，每个特征均存在家族遗传成分，但DSPs与IMCs之间的关联不存在共同家族因素。其他机制，如直接因果效应或非共享环境风险因素，可能更符合这些研究结果。