Could Joint Inflammation Increase The Risk Of Depression?

New findings published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health show that depression can increase the risk of certain health issues, including joint inflammation.

Researchers at the University of Basel and the Faculty of Medicine at the Ruhr-University Bochum found that this was especially true for diseases like arthrosis and arthritis.

This type of inflammation occurs when chemicals from the body are released into the blood and other affected tissues. The release of the chemicals into the blood flow and other areas of injury and infection can result in redness and warmth. In fact, some of the chemicals may cause a leak of fluid into the tissues, resulting in swelling and a stimulation of the nerves, causing pain.

For the study, researchers examined 14,328 participants from the Swiss Health Survey.

Findings revealed that those who suffered depressive symptoms were significantly more likely to deal with a physical illness. Furthermore, one in three participants diagnosed with depression was also at risk of at least one physical illness, according to researchers.

Furthermore, they found that the association was especially strong for degenerative and inflammatory disease of the joints.

"A better understanding of the association between depressive symptoms and physical diseases in Switzerland is the basis for a better health care provision for people suffering from mental disorders as well as physical diseases," Gunther Meinlschmidt, author of the study, said in a news release.