Association between Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration and Future Depressive Symptoms in Women

Abstract

Insufficient hemoglobin and depression share several symptoms and often occur in the same patients. Here, we sought to clarify their relationship by investigating two indices of oxygenation at the tissue level: mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and hemoglobin level. We hypothesized that MCHC would be more informative than hemoglobin levels. This prospective, longitudinal, community-based study included 337 participants (108 men and 229 women; age range, 38-87 years) who received evaluations of MCHC, hemoglobin levels and depressive symptom scores (DSS) during baseline and follow-up examinations, which were performed in 2008-2011 and 2010-2012, respectively. MCHC and hemoglobin levels were measured as part of complete blood counts, while DSS was evaluated using the Beck Depression Inventory. Associations were analyzed using linear regression. We found a statistically significant association between baseline MCHC and follow-up DSS (β = −0.69, p = 0.026), which remained statistically significant after controlling for potential confounders (β = −0.71, p = 0.011). Further, when we analyzed the relationship separately for men and women, we observed that it remained stable for women before (β = −1.00, p = 0.014) and after (β = −1.09, p = 0.003) adjusting for confounders. The stable association indicates that MCHC may be superior to hemoglobin level as a prognostic factor for future depressive symptoms in women. MCHC is easy to measure and low MCHC is usually treatable. Therefore, screening and intervention efforts could be targeted at women with low MCHC, who appear to have elevated risks of developing depressive symptoms.

Cardiometabolic risk factors associated with brain age and accelerated brain ageing

“…In general, these associations are in line with previous studies showing associations between CMRs and age‐related cognitive decline, with higher MCV levels being associated with reduced episodic memory, global cognitive function, and mental status (Chen et al, 2020; Gamaldo, Ferrucci, Rifkind, Longo, & Zonderman, 2014), in addition to an increased risk of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular related deaths (Wu, 2018). Moreover, related health markers of red blood cell measures (MCHC) have previously been associated with higher depressive symptom scores (Lee et al, 2017).…”

Comparison of the red blood cell indices based on accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity to predict one-year mortality in heart failure patients

“…MCHC provides information on the hemoglobin concentration of each RBC. If it decreases for a long period, the organs' oxygenation will reduce [ 6 , 25 ]. Different mechanisms play a part in hypochromia.…”

Reference intervals of complete blood count parameters for individuals aged 80 to 89 years in Guizhou, China: A STROBE-compliant retrospective study

“…[ 30 ] As for MCV, the higher MCV was positively associated with mortality in patients with chronic kidney diseases. [ 31 ] The low MCH, low MCHC, high RDW were positively associated with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, [ 32 ] elevated risks of developing depressive symptoms, [ 33 ] increased risk of hemorrhagic transformation among acute ischemic stroke patients, [ 34 ] respectively. In present study, we presented the reference intervals for 7 routine RBC-related parameters, including RBC count, Hb level, Hct, MCV, MCH, MCHC, and RDW.…”