Dai Jian, Lin Xiao-Tong, Shen Lu-Lu, Zhang Xi-Wen, Ding Zi-Wen, Wang Jing, Fan Xi-Wang, Ning Wei-Dong
Department of Clinical Psychology, Jiangbin Hospital, Nanning 530021, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.
Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shanghai Pudong New Area Mental Health Center, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200124, China.
World J Psychiatry. 2025 Feb 19;15(2):101818. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i2.101818.
Depression is a significant psychiatric disorder with particularly high prevalence among adolescents. This mental health condition can have severe consequences, including academic failure, social withdrawal, and suicidal behavior. Given the increasing rate of depression in this age group, understanding the underlying biological mechanisms is essential for early detection and intervention. Recent studies have suggested that immune markers play a role in the pathophysiology of depression, prompting further investigation of their potential association with depressive symptoms in adolescents.
To investigate the relationship between immune markers (monocytes, lymphocytes, and direct bilirubin) and the incidence and severity of depression among adolescents.
This cross-sectional study recruited 145 adolescent patients with depression [male (M)/female (F) = 38/107] from Jiangbin Hospital in Guangxi, Zhuang and 163 healthy controls (M/F = 77/86) from routine health check-ups. Blood samples were collected after an overnight fast. Depression severity was measured using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale. The inclusion criteria were age 12-24 years, diagnosis of depressive disorder (ICD-10), and no recent antidepressant use. The exclusion criteria included psychiatric comorbidities and serious somatic diseases. Key statistical methods included group comparisons and correlation analyses.
There was a higher prevalence of females in the depression group ( < 0.001). Significant age differences were observed between the groups ( = 9.43, < 0.001). The depression group had higher monocyte ( = 3.43, < 0.001) and lymphocyte ( = 2.29, < 0.05) counts, and higher serum direct bilirubin levels ( = 4.72, < 0.001). Monocyte count varied significantly according to depression severity, with lower counts in the mild group ( = -2.90, < 0.05). A negative correlation between age and lymphocyte counts was observed ( = -0.22, < 0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that serum direct bilirubin levels significantly predicted depression.
The potential role of elevated levels of immune markers in the early detection of depression in adolescents has been highlighted. Therefore, it is necessary to explore further the relationships between these immune markers and depression.
抑郁症是一种严重的精神疾病，在青少年中患病率尤其高。这种心理健康状况可能会产生严重后果，包括学业失败、社交退缩和自杀行为。鉴于该年龄组抑郁症发病率不断上升，了解其潜在的生物学机制对于早期发现和干预至关重要。最近的研究表明，免疫标志物在抑郁症的病理生理学中起作用，这促使人们进一步研究它们与青少年抑郁症状的潜在关联。
探讨免疫标志物（单核细胞、淋巴细胞和直接胆红素）与青少年抑郁症发病率及严重程度之间的关系。
这项横断面研究招募了来自广西江滨医院的145名青少年抑郁症患者[男（M）/女（F）=38/107]，以及163名来自常规健康体检的健康对照者（M/F=77/86）。空腹过夜后采集血样。使用zung自评抑郁量表测量抑郁严重程度。纳入标准为年龄12 - 24岁、诊断为抑郁症（ICD - 10）且近期未使用抗抑郁药。排除标准包括精神共病和严重躯体疾病。主要统计方法包括组间比较和相关性分析。
抑郁症组女性患病率更高（<0.001）。两组之间观察到显著的年龄差异（=9.43，<0.001）。抑郁症组的单核细胞计数（=3.43，<0.001）和淋巴细胞计数（=2.29，<0.05）更高，血清直接胆红素水平也更高（=4.72，<0.001）。单核细胞计数根据抑郁严重程度有显著差异，轻度组计数较低（= - 2.90，<0.05）。观察到年龄与淋巴细胞计数之间存在负相关（= - 0.22，<0.01）。逻辑回归分析表明，血清直接胆红素水平显著预测抑郁症。
免疫标志物水平升高在青少年抑郁症早期检测中的潜在作用得到了突出。因此，有必要进一步探索这些免疫标志物与抑郁症之间的关系。
