Depression often co-occurs with arthritis and arthrosis says new research

People with symptoms of depression have increased risk for arthritis, arthrosis and other physical diseases, says a study published in Frontiers in Public Health.
A research group looked at data from 14,348 people aged 15 years and older who lived in Switzerland.
About one-third-of people with depression also had at least one physical disease. This association was evident especially with arthrosis and arthritis that are degenerative and inflammatory diseases of the joints. Explanations of the findings are:
• Depressive symptoms result in a lack of interest in physical activity, which may then lead to joint diseases;
• People with joint diseases may be impaired in their daily activities negatively affecting their mental health and ultimately resulting in depressive symptoms;
• Joint diseases are often caused by inflammatory processes, which have also been speculated for certain types of depressive disorders. So inflammatory processes may represent the link between depressive symptoms and physical diseases.
“A better understanding of the association between depressive symptoms and physical diseases in Switzerland is the basis for a better health care provision for people suffering from mental disorders as well as physical diseases”, says Prof Gunther Meinlschmidt, study author.

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Image credit: Benjamin Random