Association of anti-Ro52 antibody with depression and anxiety in patients with connective tissue diseases: an observational, single-centre, cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To explore the risk factors of anxiety and depression, especially their association with serum autoantibodies, in patients with connective tissue diseases (CTDs).

Methods: Three hundred and fifty-two inpatients with CTDs were recruited and their demographic, serological and imaging data were collected through the medical record system. Depression and anxiety were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale (GAD-7) respectively. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), rank sum test, chi-square test and logistic regression were performed to investigate risk factors for depression and anxiety.

Results: The prevalence of depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 5) and anxiety (GAD-7 ≥5) in CTD patients was significantly higher than that in the Chinese general population (depression: 44.3% vs. 32.2%, anxiety: 39.5% vs. 22.2%). Sleep time was a protective factor for both depression and anxiety (OR=0.734, 95% CI: 0.616~0.874, p<0.001 and OR=0.684, 95% CI: 0.559~0.835, P<0.001, respectively) while anti-Ro52 antibody was a risk factor for them (OR=5.466, 95% CI: 2.978~10.032, p<0.001 and OR=4.075, 95% CI: 2.073~8.010, p<0.001, respectively). Further analysis showed that anti-Ro52 antibody was a risk factor for depression and anxiety in all four subgroups, namely SLE, SS, RA, and other CTDs.

Conclusions: Anti-Ro52 antibody is probably a risk factor for depression and anxiety in patients with connective tissue diseases. CTD patients with the presence of anti-Ro52 antibody are more prone to depression and anxiety than those without it.