Depression May Increase the Risk of Developing Asthma, reveals research
Researchers have discovered in a new study that depression can directly contribute to asthma development, indicating a possible causal connection between respiratory disease and mental health. The research found that people with depression have a substantially increased risk of asthma development, evidence supported both by observations and genetics. The study was published in BMC Psychiatry by Tanao Ji. and colleagues.
The study explored the relationship between depression and asthma through several large-scale datasets and sophisticated statistical analysis. NHANES 2007–2018 and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) 2004–2019 data were analyzed, which were later subject to genetic analyses involving linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC) and Mendelian randomization (MR) methods.
Observational Analysis:
NHANES: 31,434
ELSA: 17,021
Genetic Analysis:
LDSC to measure genetic correlations.
Two-sample Mendelian randomization (UVMR and MVMR) based on genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics.
Confounders such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and education were also adjusted to assess independent effects.
Key Findings
Observational Data:
NHANES: Depressed individuals were 2.002 times more likely to have asthma (95% CI: 1.827–2.193, P < 0.001).
ELSA: Depression raised the risk of asthma by 1.753 times (95% CI: 1.581–1.943, P < 0.001).
Genetic Correlation (LDSC):
There was a significant positive genetic correlation (rg = 0.352, P < 0.001).
Mendelian Randomization:
Univariable MR: Depression causally raised risk of asthma (OR = 1.291, 95% CI: 1.157–1.442, P < 0.001).
Reverse causality (asthma leading to depression) was not supported.
Multivariable MR (adjusted for lifestyle and education variables):
Smoking-adjusted: OR = 1.326 (95% CI: 1.156–1.520, P < 0.001)
Drinking-adjusted: OR = 1.375 (95% CI: 1.186–1.593, P < 0.001)
Education-adjusted: OR = 1.425 (95% CI: 1.253–1.621, P < 0.001)
This observational and genetic study at a large scale offers strong evidence that depression raises the risk of asthma development. Depression being recognized as a possible causal factor, if tackled, may not only better psychological outcomes but also ease the chronic burden of respiratory disease globally.
Reference:
Ji, T., Lv, Y., Yang, J. et al. Association between depression and asthma: insight from observational and genetic evidence. BMC Psychiatry 25, 786 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-025-07245-w
