Overview

• The study drew on data from the Our Future Health cohort of 1.5 million UK participants and found a lifetime prevalence of affective disorders of 29% among those with autoimmune conditions versus 18% in the general population.
• Women with autoimmune diseases experienced a 32% prevalence of depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder compared with 21% for men with the same conditions.
• Researchers used diagnoses of rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, Graves’ disease and psoriasis as proxies for chronic inflammation in the absence of direct biomarker measurements.
• Current symptoms of depression and anxiety were significantly more common in participants with autoimmune conditions after adjusting for age, income and parental psychiatric history.
• Authors recommend integrating regular mental health screenings into standard care for people with autoimmune conditions, particularly women, while noting the study’s observational design does not confirm causality.