Swedish scientists have revealed a bidirectional association between perinatal depression and autoimmune diseases.
- During and after pregnancy, a woman may suffer from perinatal depression.
- Swedish researchers have discovered an association between autoimmune diseases and the risk of perinatal depression.
- The most common autoimmune pathologies are gluten intolerance or celiac disease, autoimmune thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis.
It is estimated that 10 to 20% of women are affected by postpartum depression in the year following the birth of a child. This disorder can manifest itself by intense and unexplained sadness, sleep problems, negative beliefs or even a loss of interest in motherhood. Like a mother’s new life, pregnancy can also be a difficult time to live through. Nearly 10 to 15% of pregnant women are affected by antenatal depression.
Autoimmune diseases, a risk factor for perinatal depression?
Certain factors increase the risk of perinatal depression, which can occur during (antenatal) and after pregnancy (postpartum). These include primiparity, social isolation or obstetric history. A link between autoimmune diseases, prenatal and postpartum depression was recently observed by scientists from Karolinska Institutet (Sweden). This work was published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
For the purposes of this research, the team used data from the Swedish Medical Birth Registry and identified all women who gave birth in Sweden between 2001 and 2013. The panel included 815,000 women, and 1.3 million pregnancies were recorded. recorded during the study period. Nearly 55,000 women have been diagnosed with antenatal or postpartum depression.
Secondly, the researchers compared the incidence of 41 autoimmune diseases in women who had or did not suffer from perinatal depression. They also took into account family factors such as genes and environment, from childhood, also including the sisters of affected women. Among the most common autoimmune diseases, we find gluten intolerance or celiac disease, autoimmune thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis.
A strong association between multiple sclerosis and perinatal depression
The researchers then identified a bidirectional correlation between perinatal depression and several autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, autoimmune thyroiditis and celiac disease. Women affected by an autoimmune pathology were 30% more likely to suffer from antenatal or postpartum depression. Conversely, patients with perinatal depression were 30% more likely to develop a subsequent autoimmune disease. The association was strongest for multiple sclerosis for which the risk was doubled in both directions.
“Our study suggests that there is an immunological mechanism behind perinatal depression, and that autoimmune diseases should be considered as a risk factor for this type of depression”, underlined Emma Bränn, lead author of the study and researcher at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet. Before adding: “depression during this sensitive period can have serious consequences for mother and baby (…) We hope that our results will help policymakers direct funding towards maternal health care, so that more women can obtain help and support on time.” However, no conclusions about causality can be drawn since this is an observational study.