Alexithymia and Tissue Inflammation
Background: Altered immune responses are seen in depression, and recent data suggest that similar changes could also be observable in alexithymia. We examined whether the inflammatory markers high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6 are independently related to alexithymia...
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Published in | Psychotherapy and psychosomatics Vol. 80; no. 6; pp. 359 - 364 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Basel, Switzerland
S. Karger AG
01.01.2011
Karger |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Background: Altered immune responses are seen in depression, and recent data suggest that similar changes could also be observable in alexithymia. We examined whether the inflammatory markers high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6 are independently related to alexithymia or its factors in a population-based sample. Methods: This study formed a clinical part of the Kuopio Depression (KUDEP) general population study focusing on the mental health of a general population of adults aged 25–64 years (n = 308). Alexithymia was measured using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-21). Results: The levels of IL-6 (in picograms per milliliter) and hs-CRP (in milligrams per liter) were significantly higher in alexithymic than in nonalexithymic subjects (IL-6 effect size, ES: 0.50; hs-CRP ES: 0.27). The BDI scores, hs-CRP and IL-6 explained 33.5% of the variation in TAS scores in the whole study population. According to logistic regression analysis, hs-CRP but not IL-6 increased the likelihood of belonging to the alexithymic group. This observation remained unaltered after additional adjustments for chronic inflammation-related disorders, the use of inflammation-modulating medications and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the association between hs-CRP and alexithymia resembles that observed in depressed patients. It is, however, independent of depressive symptoms. These findings widen our view on the stress-alexithymia concept. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-2 ObjectType-Feature-1 |
ISSN: | 0033-3190 1423-0348 |
DOI: | 10.1159/000327583 |