The effects of childhood adversity on inflammation in depressed adults

Increased inflammation is consistently seen in adults with depression. In this study, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, the effect of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) on inflammation was examined[1]. Levels of inflammatory markers (e.g, interleukin-6, c-reactive protein, and white blood cell count) were compared between:

1. adults with depression and ACE;
2. adults with depression without ACE;
3. healthy participants with ACE; and
4. healthy participants without ACE.

No participants were taking psychotropic medications, so this could not account for any group differences.

The researchers found that depressed adults with ACE had higher concentrations of interleukin-6 and a higher white blood cell count compared to healthy participants. However, there were no differences in inflammatory levels between depressed individuals without ACE compared to healthy participants.

These results indicate that elevated inflammation is particularly problematic in depressed individuals with a history of childhood adversity (but not in depressed adults without ACE). This has potential implications in how we treat depression. It may be that anti-inflammatory treatments are especially important for adults with depression and a history of childhood adversity. These anti-inflammatory treatments could include a healthy diet, good sleep, stress reduction, and anti-inflammatory herbs, spices, and nutraceuticals.

Reference

1. de Punder K, et al. Inflammatory Measures in Depressed Patients With and Without a History of Adverse Childhood Experiences. Front Psychiatry. 2018 Nov 27;9:610.