Association between skin test diagnosed atopy and professionally diagnosed depression: a northern finland 1966 birth cohort study

Timonen, Markku; Jokelainen, Jari; Silvennoinen-Kassinen, Sylvi; Herva, Anne; Zitting, Paavo; Bo, Xu; Peltola, Outi; Räsänen, Pirkko

doi:10.1016/s0006-3223(01)01364-6

Cited by 49 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…Our findings, based on data from the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort, provide firm support to the findings of previous studies [13][14][15][16][17][18] concerning an association between depression and atopic disorders. The results of this 31-year prospective follow-up, moreover, suggest that in females the presence of atopic symptoms, verified by skin-prick tests, increase the risk of depression up to 4.7-fold when compared with nonatopic female cohort members.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Only recently we had noted that atopic disorders, verified with the help of skin tests, were associated with depression only in females, but the severity of the depression was not measured in that study. 18 There are some explanations for the gender difference, that is, the fact that in females the association between the disorders is evident independent of the severity of depression and that among males it is only seen in the presence of the most severe manifestations. It has been suggested that atopic disorders and depression share a common genetic etiology.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…13 We have previously demonstrated, at epidemiological level, that hospital-treated atopic disorders increase the risk of developing a severe, hospitaltreated depression up to three-fold in males and females, 17 and that clinically manifest atopic disorders increase the risk of self-reported doctordiagnosed depression up to 2.7-fold in females, but not in males. 18 These findings urged us to investigate now for the first time, whether the sex-specific association between atopic disorders and depression is dependent on the severity of depression. In the present study, we were able to use more accurate tools to define the presence of atopic disorders and depression.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Atopy and depression: results from the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort Study

et al. 2003

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Several studies have suggested an association between IgE-mediated atopic allergies and depression. The present study extends our understanding about putative gender differences of this association and provides further epidemiological evidence for our previous finding that the association between atopy and depression may be characteristic for females only. In order to clearly determine the presence of atopic disorders and depression, we used more valid tools than had been employed earlier and we had access to a database (the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort), in which individuals were followed up prospectively until the age of 31 years. The information on allergic symptoms, verified by skin-prick tests and comprising data of 5518 individuals, was used to ascertain the presence of atopy. Depression was assessed with the help of Hopkins' Symptom Checklist-25 and self-reported doctor-diagnosed depression. After adjusting for a father's social class, mother's parity, and place of residence, logistic regression analyses showed that the risk of developing depression increased in parallel with the increasing severity of depression and, when compared with nonatopic subjects, was 3.0 to 4.7-fold up in atopic females and statistically significant. In atopic males, the association between atopy and depression was statistically significant only in the highest depression scores, the odds ratio being 6.3-fold. The results indicate that females suffering from atopic diseases might possess an elevated risk of developing depression already during early adulthood. In males, the association between these two disorders is evident only among the most severe manifestations of depression. Possible background theories, that is, genetic abnormalities in serotonin metabolism, HPA-axis dysfunction, and histamine theory are discussed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Atopy and depression: results from the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort Study

et al. 2003

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“…Atopy was documented by the skin prick test, while depression was diagnosed by a doctor and its severity measured with a symptom checklist. The authors found that atopic women had a greater risk of being diagnosed as depressive than did non-atopic women, and the risk was higher in those having clinically manifest atopic disorders (28). This association was not observed in men.…”

mentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Timonen et al (28,29) studied the relationship between objectively documented atopy and depression. Atopy was documented by the skin prick test, while depression was diagnosed by a doctor and its severity measured with a symptom checklist.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Atopy Related to Neuroticism, Stress, and Subjective Quality of Life?

Radošević-Vidaček

Košćec

Bakotić

et al. 2009

Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology

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Different psychosocial characteristics have been associated with allergic disorders. The aim of this study was to examine whether atopic constitution and reports of allergic symptoms were related to personality trait of neuroticism, exposure to stressful life events and estimates of quality of life. Atopy was determined by skin prick test and reports of nasal and pulmonary allergy-related symptoms. Actively working individuals of both genders took part in the study (n=145, age range: 20 to 66 years). The participants were divided in three groups. The fi rst group was composed of those with negative skin prick test and without symptoms (n=57), the second of those with positive skin prick test but without symptoms (n=28), and the third of those with positive skin prick test and symptoms (n=60). The groups did not differ signifi cantly in neuroticism, exposure to stressful life events, or quality of life. Women reported more pronounced neuroticism and anxiety, higher exposure to stressful life events, and were less satisfi ed with their environment than men. In our sample of active workers we found no association of neuroticism, exposure to stressful life events, and quality of life with atopy and allergic symptoms.

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