Depressive symptoms were associated with an elevated prevalence of gallstones among adults in the United States: A cross-sectional analysis of NHANES 2017-2020.

BACKGROUND

Gallstone disease is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders. Despite extensive research exploring the risk factors associated with gallstones, the association between depressive symptoms and gallstones remains inadequately understood. This study aimed to assess the association between depressive symptoms and the prevalence of gallstones among adults in the United States.

METHODS

In this study, a cross-sectional design utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning the years 2017 to 2020. The assessment of depressive symptoms was conducted through the utilization of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), which assigns total scores ranging from 0 to 27. Participants with PHQ-9 scores equal to or exceeding 10 were categorized as having clinically relevant depressive symptoms. Multivariable adjusted logistic regression and subgroup analysis were used to assess the association between depressive symptoms and gallstone prevalence.

RESULTS

A total of 7,797 participants aged 20 years or older were enrolled in this study, of whom 835 had a self-reported history of gallstones. After multiple adjustments, each one-point increase in PHQ-9 scores was associated with a 5 % increase in the risk of gallstones (odds ratio [], 1.05; 95 % confidence interval [], 1.03, 1.07,  < 0.001). Compared to individuals with PHQ-9 scores < 10, participants with PHQ-9 total scores ≥ 10 exhibited a 79 % higher risk of gallstones ( = 1.79, 95 % : 1.43, 2.23,  < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Depressive symptoms were associated with an elevated prevalence of gallstones. However, it is important to note that further validation through prospective cohort studies is warranted to confirm this finding.