Depression Tied to Having More Physical Health Conditions

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 19, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Middle-aged and older adults with a history of depression have more long-term physical health conditions at baseline and develop additional physical conditions at a faster rate than those without a history of depression, according to a study published online Feb. 13 in PLOS Medicine.

Kelly J. Fleetwood, from University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom, and colleagues quantified the association between depression and the subsequent rate of accrual of long-term physical health conditions in middle and older age. The analysis included 172,556 participants from the U.K. Biobank (aged 40 to 71 years old at baseline assessment in 2006 to 2010).

The researchers found that compared with those without depression, participants with depression had more physical conditions at baseline (mean 2.9 versus 2.1) and developed additional physical conditions at a faster rate (mean 0.20 versus 0.16 additional conditions per year during follow-up). When adjusting for age and sex, participants with depression developed physical morbidities at a faster rate than those without depression (relative risk [RR], 1.32). The rate of new conditions still remained higher in those with versus without depression when adjusting for all sociodemographic characteristics (RR, 1.30). When further adjusting for baseline condition count and social/lifestyle factors, this association attenuated but remained statistically significant (RR, 1.10).

“Our findings highlight the importance of inte­grated approaches to managing both mental and physical health outcomes,” the authors write.

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