Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Dec;26(6):664-671.
doi: 10.1017/S2045796016000664. Epub 2016 Sep 19.

Major depressive disorder is associated with subsequent adult-onset asthma: a population-based cohort study

T-C Shen  1 , C-L Lin  2 , C H Liao  3 , C-C Wei  4 , F-C Sung  2 , C-H Kao  1
Affiliations

Major depressive disorder is associated with subsequent adult-onset asthma: a population-based cohort study

T-C Shen et al. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2017 Dec.

Abstract

Aim: To examine the incidence of asthma in adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Methods: From the National Health Insurance database of Taiwan, we identified 30 169 adult patients who were newly diagnosed with MDD between 2000 and 2010. Individuals without depression were randomly selected four times and frequency matched for sex, age and year of diagnosis. Both cohorts were followed-up for the occurrence of asthma up to the end of 2011. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of asthma were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards method.

Results: The overall incidence of asthma was 1.91-fold higher in the MDD cohort than in the non-depression cohort (7.55 v. 3.96 per 1000 person-years), with an aHR of 1.66 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.55-1.78). In both cohorts, the incidence of asthma was higher in patients and controls who were female, aged, with comorbidities and users of aspirin or beta-adrenergic receptor blockers. No significant difference was observed in the occurrence of asthma between patients with MDD treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and those treated with non-SSRIs (SSRIs to non-SSRIs aHR = 1.03, 95% CI 0.91-1.17).

Conclusion: Adult patients with MDD are at a higher risk of asthma than those without depression are.

Keywords: Asthma; cohort study; major depressive disorder (MDD); selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Flow chart depicting the study design and selection of patients and controls.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Cumulative incidence of asthma in the depression (dashed line) and non-depression (solid line) groups.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association (2013). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edn (DSM-5). American Psychiatric Association: Arlington, VA.
    1. Boulet LP (2009). Influence of comorbid conditions on asthma. European Respiratory Journal 33, 897–906. - PubMed
    1. Brown ES, Vigil L, Khan DA, Liggin JD, Carmody TJ, Rush AJ (2005). A randomized trial of citalopram versus placebo in outpatients with asthma and major depressive disorder: a proof of concept study. Biological Psychiatry 58, 865–870. - PubMed
    1. Brown ES, Howard C, Khan DA, Carmody TJ (2012). Escitalopram for severe asthma and major depressive disorder: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled proof-of-concept study. Psychosomatics 53, 75–80. - PubMed
    1. Brunner WM, Schreiner PJ, Sood A, Jacobs DR Jr. (2014). Depression and risk of incident asthma in adults. The CARDIA study. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 189, 1044–1051. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances