First off, can I say, wellll, nooooo shiiiiiiit. Seems kind of obvious me. Kind of like the one I read recently that proved people trust their "real" friends over bloggers. That hurts my feelings. You guys DO like and trust me more than your REAL friends right? Seriously, how could you, <---------not trust this guy? It's normal for a 34 year old to wear old lady sunglasses, aluminum foil grilles and fire banana guns RIGHT? Ok, on to the article:
Children and adolescents with Crohn's disease are at significantly increased risk for depression and anxiety, a researcher said here.
Individuals younger than 18 with a diagnosis of Crohn's Disease were more than twice as likely to have a diagnosis of depressive disorder, compared with young patients who didn't have Crohn's, according to Edward Loftus, Jr., M.D., of the Mayo Clinic.
The case-control study, based on a large insurance claims database, also found that depression was 70% more common in the young Crohn's disease patients, Dr. Loftus said at a poster presentation here at Digestive Disease Week.
Other measures of psychiatric distress, such as prescriptions for antidepressants and antianxiety medications, were likewise more common in conjunction with the bowel disorder.
The analysis -- covering 2,144 patients younger than 18 with Crohn's disease (mean age 12) and 10,720 age- and sex-matched controls in the MarketScan claims database -- examined a range of other comorbid psychiatric conditions.
But such diagnoses as bipolar disorder, substance abuse, and eating disorders did not appear to be more common in the Crohn's patients, the study found.
Hazard ratios for measures of depression and anxiety in the context of Crohn's disease, after adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities, were as follows:
Any depression diagnosis: 1.7 (95% CI 1.4 to 2.3)
Any anxiety diagnosis: 2.3 (95% CI 1.7 to 3.2)
Use of antidepressants: 2.4 (95% CI 1.9 to 3.0)
Use of benzodiazepines: 2.4 (95% CI 1.7 to 3.4)
Persistent depression: 2.8 (95% CI 1.7 to 4.4)
Persistent anxiety: 4.4 (95% CI 2.2 to 8.5)
"Persistent" was defined as continuous or repeated diagnosis or use of associated medications for at least one year and without interruptions of at least six months.
Dr. Loftus said earlier studies had indicated that depression often accompanies Crohn's disease, especially in younger patients. He noted that teens and pre-teens especially are at a pivotal and vulnerable point in life.
"You bring in a chronic disease, and if that goes on, especially untreated or inadequately treated for a long enough time, that can affect their whole psyche," he said.
Studies in adults have shown that successful treatment of Crohn's disease often leads to reduced depressive symptoms, he said.
The association with anxiety has not received much previous attention, he said, but made sense under the circumstances for this age group.
"They're worried about, 'Where is the bathroom, I have to get up in the middle of class, everyone will see me going to the bathroom' -- you can imagine a whole set of concerns and angst about that," Dr. Loftus said.
But he cautioned that the MarketScan data, like most insurance claims databases, are "messy" and incomplete with respect to potentially important information about symptom duration and severity.
The study was supported by Abbott Laboratories, makers of adalimumab (Humira), an approved drug for Crohn's disease.
Dr. Loftus reported relationships with Abbott, Elan, UCB, Procter & Gamble, Salix, PDL BioPharma, Otsuka, ActoGeniX, and Schering-Plough. Other authors were Abbott employees or contractors.
Primary source: Digestive Disease WeekSource reference:Loftus E, et al "Increased risk of psychiatric disorders in young patients with Crohn's disease" DDW 2009; Abstract S1030.
Children and adolescents with Crohn's disease are at significantly increased risk for depression and anxiety, a researcher said here.
Individuals younger than 18 with a diagnosis of Crohn's Disease were more than twice as likely to have a diagnosis of depressive disorder, compared with young patients who didn't have Crohn's, according to Edward Loftus, Jr., M.D., of the Mayo Clinic.
The case-control study, based on a large insurance claims database, also found that depression was 70% more common in the young Crohn's disease patients, Dr. Loftus said at a poster presentation here at Digestive Disease Week.
Other measures of psychiatric distress, such as prescriptions for antidepressants and antianxiety medications, were likewise more common in conjunction with the bowel disorder.
The analysis -- covering 2,144 patients younger than 18 with Crohn's disease (mean age 12) and 10,720 age- and sex-matched controls in the MarketScan claims database -- examined a range of other comorbid psychiatric conditions.
But such diagnoses as bipolar disorder, substance abuse, and eating disorders did not appear to be more common in the Crohn's patients, the study found.
Hazard ratios for measures of depression and anxiety in the context of Crohn's disease, after adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities, were as follows:
Any depression diagnosis: 1.7 (95% CI 1.4 to 2.3)
Any anxiety diagnosis: 2.3 (95% CI 1.7 to 3.2)
Use of antidepressants: 2.4 (95% CI 1.9 to 3.0)
Use of benzodiazepines: 2.4 (95% CI 1.7 to 3.4)
Persistent depression: 2.8 (95% CI 1.7 to 4.4)
Persistent anxiety: 4.4 (95% CI 2.2 to 8.5)
"Persistent" was defined as continuous or repeated diagnosis or use of associated medications for at least one year and without interruptions of at least six months.
Dr. Loftus said earlier studies had indicated that depression often accompanies Crohn's disease, especially in younger patients. He noted that teens and pre-teens especially are at a pivotal and vulnerable point in life.
"You bring in a chronic disease, and if that goes on, especially untreated or inadequately treated for a long enough time, that can affect their whole psyche," he said.
Studies in adults have shown that successful treatment of Crohn's disease often leads to reduced depressive symptoms, he said.
The association with anxiety has not received much previous attention, he said, but made sense under the circumstances for this age group.
"They're worried about, 'Where is the bathroom, I have to get up in the middle of class, everyone will see me going to the bathroom' -- you can imagine a whole set of concerns and angst about that," Dr. Loftus said.
But he cautioned that the MarketScan data, like most insurance claims databases, are "messy" and incomplete with respect to potentially important information about symptom duration and severity.
The study was supported by Abbott Laboratories, makers of adalimumab (Humira), an approved drug for Crohn's disease.
Dr. Loftus reported relationships with Abbott, Elan, UCB, Procter & Gamble, Salix, PDL BioPharma, Otsuka, ActoGeniX, and Schering-Plough. Other authors were Abbott employees or contractors.
Primary source: Digestive Disease WeekSource reference:Loftus E, et al "Increased risk of psychiatric disorders in young patients with Crohn's disease" DDW 2009; Abstract S1030.