Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42376210›Full record

ArticleBrain, behavior, & immunity - health2026

Associations between inflammation markers (CRP and IL-6) and depression among adolescents and young adults in Soweto and Durban, South Africa.

Tatiana E Pakhomova, Thumbi Ndung'u, Mark Brockman, Anne Gadermann, T J Salway, Mags Beksinska, Amanda Rowlands, Kalysha Closson, Julie Jesson, Stepfanie Vermaak and 5 more

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Article in Brain, behavior, & immunity - health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

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No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Tatiana E PakhomovaFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada.
Thumbi Ndung'uHIV Pathogenesis Programme, The Doris Duke Medical Research Institute, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Mark BrockmanFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada.
Anne GadermannSchool of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
T J SalwayFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada.
Mags BeksinskaWits MRU (MatCH Research Unit), Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Durban, South Africa.
Amanda RowlandsFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada.
Kalysha ClossonFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada.
Julie JessonUniv Toulouse, Inserm, CERPOP, Toulouse, France.
Stepfanie VermaakPerinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Smritee DabeeSchool of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Janan J DietrichPerinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Jenni SmitWits MRU (MatCH Research Unit), Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Durban, South Africa.
Mzikazi NdunaAVReQ, University of Stellenbosch, and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa.
Angela KaidaFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objectives: Previous research has shown an association between inflammation and the development of depression. We examined the relationship between biomarkers of inflammation and probable depression among South African youth. Methods: We used cross-sectional data from 396 youth aged 16-24 from AYAZAZI, a cohort study (2014-2019) assessing socio-behavioural, structural, and biomedical HIV risk factors among youth. Depressive symptoms (past 7 days) were assessed using the 10-item Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D-10) Scale; ≥10 indicated probable depression. Inflammation was assessed using biomarkers C-Reactive Protein (CRP, in mg/L) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6, in pg/ml) which were quantified in plasma by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA). CRP and IL-6 concentrations were natural log transformed standardized prior to analysis and examined as continuous measures. Multivariable logistic regression models estimated associations between measures of inflammation and probable depression, adjusting for confounders. We tested effect modification by gender and age. Results: Among the 396 participants, 49.7% (n = 197) were aged 16-18, and 59.3% (n = 235) were women. Overall, 42.7% (n = 169) had probable depression. CRP was associated with 32% increased odds of probable depression in adjusted models (aOR 1.32; 95% CI 1.06-1.66); no significant association was found for IL-6 (aOR 1.06; 95% CI 0.85-1.32). Gender and age did not modify the relationship between CRP or IL-6 and probable depression. Discussion: Among South African adolescents and young adults, higher CRP, but not IL-6, was significantly associated with greater odds of probable depression. Findings align with growing evidence linking CRP to depression and contribute novel youth-focused data to the inflammation and mental health literature.

Indexed as

AdolescentsCRPDepressionIL-6InflammationSouth AfricaYoung adultsYouth

Identifiers

PMID42376210
PMCPMC13312184

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