Psychiatric News (8/14) reports a study found that US adults “with depression had a 29% increased risk of developing asthma compared with those without depression.” According to the unadjusted analysis, “researchers found that U.S. adults with depression were twice as likely to develop asthma compared with those without depression, while English adults had a 75% greater risk. The increased risk remained significant even after researchers adjusted for confounding variables, such as differences in demographics, smoking, drinking, body mass index (BMI), and serious chronic illnesses.” In addition, researchers found “a positive genetic correlation between depression and asthma as well as a genetically predicted causal effect of depression on asthma, indicating that depression could be a potential risk factor for asthma.” The study was published in BMC Psychiatry.
Related Links:
— “Association between depression and asthma: insight from observational and genetic evidence,” Tanao Ji, Yue Lv, Jianan Yang, Xianping Diao & Jun Gu, BMC Psychiatry, August 12, 2025