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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Mood Disorders
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1504123

Red blood cell distribution width to albumin ratio is associated with increased depression: the mediating role of atherogenic index of plasma

Provisionally accepted
Tingting Shangguan Tingting Shangguan 1Jing Xu Jing Xu 1Xiaochun Weng Xiaochun Weng 1Hao Lin Hao Lin 2*
  • 1 Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
  • 2 Pingyang Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Recent studies have identified a correlation between inflammation and depression.This study aims to explore the correlation between the red blood cell distribution width (RDW) to albumin ratio (RAR), a practical measure for assessing inflammation, and depression in the general population.In this population-based cross-sectional study, data from 28932 adults aged≥18 years old in the NHANES during the period of 1999-2018 were analyzed. To examine the correlation between RAR and depression, multivariate logistic regression analyses, subgroup analyses, restricted cubic spline analyses, and interaction tests were conducted. Furthermore, a mediation analysis was performed to elucidate the role of atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) in mediating the effect of RAR on depression.Results: Multivariate logistic regression analyses and restricted cubic splines analysis indicated that RAR can exhibit a linearly correlation with depression (OR = 1.335; 95 % CI: 1.222, 1.458).Subjects in RAR Q2, Q3, Q4 groups had an increased risk on depression as 22.8%, 22.9% and 51.9% than those in the Q1 group. This positive correlation was more pronounced in those with history of cancers. The ROC analysis indicated that the area under the curve (AUC) for RAR (AUC=0.593) was significantly greater than that for RDW and albumin individually. Mediation analysis indicated that AIP mediated 7.8% of the correlation of RAR with depression.The findings of this study indicated a significant linear positive correlation between RAR and the prevalence of depression, with AIP serving as a mediator.

    Keywords: Depression, albumin, Red blood cell distribution width, Cancer, Inflammation

    Received: 04 Oct 2024; Accepted: 15 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Shangguan, Xu, Weng and Lin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Hao Lin, Pingyang Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.