ASSOCIATION OF INFLAMMATORY MARKERS AND MOOD DISORDERS IN THE WEST REGION OF MAHARASHTRA

Abstract

Background: Systemic inflammation has been implicated in pathophysiology and treatment response of mood disorders. Peripheral markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and hematologic indices (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio [NLR], platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio [PLR]) are candidates for clinical translation. Local data from West Maharashtra are limited.

Aim: To investigate the association between inflammatory markers and mood disorder status in west Maharashtra using a pragmatic, affordable panel.

Methods: A cross-sectional study recruited 40 MDD patients and 40 healthy controls. Clinical assessments used the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D). Venous blood was analyzed for CRP (mg/L) and complete blood count to compute NLR. Data were analyzed using independent-samples t-test or Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson/Spearman correlations, logistic regression adjusting for body-mass index (BMI).

Results: Mean ± SD of CRP was 4.21 ± 2.87 mg/L in cases and 1.62 ± 1.23 mg/L in controls (p < 0.001). NLR was 2.86 ± 1.05 in cases vs 1.97 ± 0.73 in controls (p = 0.001). CRP correlated positively with HAM-D (r = 0.48, p = 0.002). In multivariable logistic regression, elevated CRP (OR = 2.31 per 1 mg/L; 95% CI 1.37–3.90; p = 0.002) and NLR (OR = 1.94 per unit; 95% CI 1.13–3.34; p = 0.016) independently predicted MDD status.

Conclusion: Elevated inflammatory markers are associated with depressive disorders in this west Maharashtra sample. Low-cost indices such as CRP and NLR may aid identification of inflammation-linked depression phenotypes and guide future intervention studies.