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. 2023 Sep 6;11(3):116.
doi: 10.3390/diseases11030116.

Examining the Relationships between the Incidence of Infectious Diseases and Mood Disorders: An Analysis of Data from the Global Burden of Disease Studies, 1990-2019

Ravi Philip Rajkumar  1
Affiliations

Examining the Relationships between the Incidence of Infectious Diseases and Mood Disorders: An Analysis of Data from the Global Burden of Disease Studies, 1990-2019

Ravi Philip Rajkumar. Diseases. .

Abstract

Mood disorders are among the commonest mental disorders worldwide. Epidemiological and clinical evidence suggests that there are close links between infectious diseases and mood disorders, but the strength and direction of these association remain largely unknown. Theoretical models have attempted to explain this link based on evolutionary or immune-related factors, but these have not been empirically verified. The current study examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between the incidence of infectious diseases and mood disorders, while correcting for climate and economic factors, based on data from the Global Burden of Disease Studies, 1990-2019. It was found that major depressive disorder was positively associated with lower respiratory infections, while bipolar disorder was positively associated with upper respiratory infections and negatively associated with enteric and tropical infections, both cross-sectionally and over a period of 30 years. These results suggest that a complex, bidirectional relationship exists between these disorders. This relationship may be mediated through the immune system as well as through the gut-brain and lung-brain axes. Understanding the mechanisms that link these groups of disorders could lead to advances in the prevention and treatment of both.

Keywords: bipolar disorder; gut–brain axis; infectious diseases; lower respiratory infectious; lung–brain axis; major depressive disorder; upper respiratory infections.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overlap between evolutionary and mechanistic models linking infectious diseases and depression.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Interactions between the gut–brain, lung–brain, and immune systems in the relationship between infection and mood disorders.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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