Anti-Ro52 antibody is a risk factor for depression and anxiety in patients with connective tissue diseases

Abstract

Abstract The risk of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety is increased in connective tissue diseases (CTDs). However, little is known about whether this risk is related to autoantibodies. We conducted an observational, single-center, cross-sectional study to investigate the correlation of depression and anxiety with the presence of autoantibodies in patients with CTDs. Three hundred and fifty-two inpatients with CTDs were recruited and their demographic, serological and imaging data were collected through the medical record system. Depression and anxiety were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale (GAD-7) respectively. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), rank sum test, chi-square test and logistic regression were performed to investigate risk factors for depression and anxiety. The prevalence of depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 5) and anxiety (GAD-7 ≥ 5) in CTD patients was significantly higher than that in the Chinese general population (depression: 44.3% vs 32.2%, anxiety: 39.5% vs 22.2%). Sleep time was a protective factor for both depression and anxiety (OR = 0.719, 95% CI: 0.605 ~ 0.856, P = 0.0002 and OR = 0.639, 95% CI: 0.528 ~ 0.773, P < 0.0001, respectively) while anti-Ro52 antibody was a risk factor for them (OR = 5.545, 95% CI: 3.053 ~ 10.074, P < 0.001 and OR = 5.642, 95% CI: 3.071 ~ 10.363, P < 0.0001, respectively). Further analysis showed that anti-Ro52 antibody was a risk factor for depression and anxiety in all four subgroups, namely SLE, SS, RA, and other CTDs. CTD patients with the presence of anti-Ro52 antibody are more prone to depression and anxiety than those without it.