Skip to main content

Depression, Inflammation Linked in Obese Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Sept. 8, 2023 -- For individuals with obesity undergoing bariatric surgery, depression is associated with higher inflammation before and after surgery, according to a study published online Aug. 31 in Psychological Medicine.

Anna P. McLaughlin, Ph.D., from King's College London, and colleagues examined longitudinal associations between depression and inflammatory markers and their effect on weight loss and clinical outcomes in an observational study of 85 patients with obesity (41 with depression and 44 controls). Depression was assessed by clinical interview before and six months after surgery.

The researchers found that after controlling for confounders, depression diagnosis before surgery was associated with significantly higher serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-6/10 ratio levels. Patients with preexisting depression had significantly higher inflammation at six months after surgery despite having similar weight loss to controls. Higher baseline hsCRP levels predicted poorer weight loss in hierarchical regression but did not affect depression severity at follow-up. Greater depression severity after surgery was predicted by more severe baseline depressive symptoms and childhood emotional abuse.

"Our data showing that increased inflammation predicts lower weight-loss after bariatric surgery suggests that personalized treatments involving approaches that lower inflammation could enable better outcomes after surgery," coauthor Valeria Mondelli, M.D., Ph.D., also from King's College London, said in a statement.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

High Social Media Use Tied to Depression in Only Some Teens

TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- High social media use is only tied to increased depression in teens who are already vulnerable, according to a study published online June 26 in...

Small Differences in Weight Change With First-Line Antidepressants

MONDAY, July 1, 2024 -- For eight first-line antidepressants, small differences are seen in mean weight change, with the least weight gain with bupropion, according to a study...

Bariatric Surgery Tied to Lower Risk of MACE, Death in Obesity, Sleep Apnea

FRIDAY, June 28, 2024 -- Metabolic surgery is associated with significantly lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) compared with nonsurgical management among...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.