(P500) Associations Between hs-CRP and Depression Severity in Diabetes and the General Population

With 50% of patients with major depressive disorder going undetected in primary care settings, there is a critical need for improved depression screening to ensure patients get the care that they need. This is amplified for individuals with diabetes, where the consequence of untreated depression can often be the development of more severe diabetes-related complications. One promising avenue to mitigate this care gap is the identification of an objective biomarker for depression screening. Having an objective screening measure could ensure that patients who are unlikely to be “flagged” as being at risk for depression may still be identified and gain access to life-saving mental health care. Previous population-based studies have identified an association between elevated high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), an acute-phase inflammatory marker used to measure low-level inflammation, and increased likelihood of depressive symptoms. However, the utility of hs-CRP as a risk marker for depression in individuals with diabetes remains largely unexplored. This poster reviews a study that aims to address this critical research gap by evaluating the associations between hs-CRP and depression severity in individuals with diabetes and the general population using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) dataset collected between 2015 and March 2020. Authors: Kyra Benowitz, OMS III; Clipper F. Young, PharmD, MPH, CDCES, BC-ADM, BCGP, APh, FADCES, Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health. Funding Source: Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine.