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Review
. 2021 May 1;13(5):e14791.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.14791.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder With Rheumatological and Inflammatory Diseases: A Systematic Review

Ahmed M Alsheikh  1 , Maram M Alsheikh  2
Affiliations
Review

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder With Rheumatological and Inflammatory Diseases: A Systematic Review

Ahmed M Alsheikh et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common mental illness that can significantly impair the patients' quality of life. Recent studies have shown that patients with this condition usually suffer from inflammatory or rheumatological comorbidities. However, the association between OCD's etiology and inflammation is still controversial. This review aims to explore the correlation between OCD and rheumatological as well as inflammatory disorders based on studies conducted in the last decade. A total of eight articles that were deemed eligible were included in the final assessment, involving 31,204 OCD patients from various countries. The most significant inflammatory biomarkers examined were tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukins, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and cytokines. We concluded that the pathophysiology and etiology of OCD are strongly correlated with inflammatory biomarkers. This finding warrants future studies on the efficacy of anti-inflammatory agents to treat OCD, particularly in the early stages of the disease.

Keywords: association; biomarkers; inflammation; obsessive-compulsive disorders; rheumatology; systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. PRISMA flowchart summarizing the search process in this study
PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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