Postpartum depression in relation to chronic diseases and multimorbidity in women’s mid-late life: a prospective cohort study of UK Biobank
Abstract Background Maternal short-term outcomes of postpartum depression (PPD) were widely examined, but little is known about its long-term association with multiple chronic diseases (multimorbidity) in women’s later life. This study aims to assess the association of PPD with chronic diseases and...
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2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-03853-1 |
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| author | Yue Zhang Yangyang Cheng Rodrigo M. Carrillo-Larco Yaguan Zhou Hui Wang Xiaolin Xu |
| author_facet | Yue Zhang Yangyang Cheng Rodrigo M. Carrillo-Larco Yaguan Zhou Hui Wang Xiaolin Xu |
| author_sort | Yue Zhang |
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| description | Abstract Background Maternal short-term outcomes of postpartum depression (PPD) were widely examined, but little is known about its long-term association with multiple chronic diseases (multimorbidity) in women’s later life. This study aims to assess the association of PPD with chronic diseases and multimorbidity in women’s mid-late life. Methods This prospective cohort study included female participants in UK Biobank who attended online follow-up assessment and reported their history of PPD. A total of 36 chronic diseases were assessed and multimorbidity was defined as the co-existence of two or more of these diseases. Participants were followed from the baseline recruitment to the onset of two or more chronic diseases, death, or the end of follow-up (2023). Logistic regression models, Cox proportional hazard models, quasi-Poisson mixed effects models, and linear mixed models were conducted to examine the association of PPD with chronic diseases and multimorbidity at baseline and during follow-up. Results Among all 54,885 participants, 5106 (9.3%) participants experienced PPD, 13,928 (25.4%) participants had multimorbidity at baseline, and 14,135 (25.8%) participants developed two or more diseases during a median follow-up of 15 years. Women with a PPD history had higher odds of having multimorbidity at baseline (odds ratio = 1.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.27–1.44) and higher risk of developing multimorbidity during follow-up (hazard ratio = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.08–1.20). PPD was associated with increased number of chronic diseases, with the relatively new-onset number of diseases during follow-up being 8% higher for those with PPD (relative risk = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.05–1.12). Chronic diseases also accumulated at a faster annual rate for women with a history of PPD (b = 0.009, 95% CI = 0.007–0.011), compared to those without. We observed no interaction or mediation effects of physical activity, smoking, alcohol drinking, and dietary factors on the association between PPD and multimorbidity; however, women’s body mass index at baseline contributed to the association, with the mediation proportion of 6.38% (2.56–10.20%). Conclusions PPD was associated with higher risks of chronic diseases and multimorbidity in women’s mid-late life. This finding supports the importance of perinatal and postpartum mental health care, and its role in the prevention of chronic diseases and multimorbidity throughout women’s life course. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| spelling | doaj-art-022418d8ea574fefb0d4fdb20aa166972025-01-26T12:37:22ZengBMCBMC Medicine1741-70152025-01-0123111310.1186/s12916-025-03853-1Postpartum depression in relation to chronic diseases and multimorbidity in women’s mid-late life: a prospective cohort study of UK BiobankYue Zhang0Yangyang Cheng1Rodrigo M. Carrillo-Larco2Yaguan Zhou3Hui Wang4Xiaolin Xu5School of Public Health, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineSchool of Public Health, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineEmory Global Diabetes Research Center, Emory UniversitySchool of Public Health, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineSchool of Public Health, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineSchool of Public Health, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineAbstract Background Maternal short-term outcomes of postpartum depression (PPD) were widely examined, but little is known about its long-term association with multiple chronic diseases (multimorbidity) in women’s later life. This study aims to assess the association of PPD with chronic diseases and multimorbidity in women’s mid-late life. Methods This prospective cohort study included female participants in UK Biobank who attended online follow-up assessment and reported their history of PPD. A total of 36 chronic diseases were assessed and multimorbidity was defined as the co-existence of two or more of these diseases. Participants were followed from the baseline recruitment to the onset of two or more chronic diseases, death, or the end of follow-up (2023). Logistic regression models, Cox proportional hazard models, quasi-Poisson mixed effects models, and linear mixed models were conducted to examine the association of PPD with chronic diseases and multimorbidity at baseline and during follow-up. Results Among all 54,885 participants, 5106 (9.3%) participants experienced PPD, 13,928 (25.4%) participants had multimorbidity at baseline, and 14,135 (25.8%) participants developed two or more diseases during a median follow-up of 15 years. Women with a PPD history had higher odds of having multimorbidity at baseline (odds ratio = 1.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.27–1.44) and higher risk of developing multimorbidity during follow-up (hazard ratio = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.08–1.20). PPD was associated with increased number of chronic diseases, with the relatively new-onset number of diseases during follow-up being 8% higher for those with PPD (relative risk = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.05–1.12). Chronic diseases also accumulated at a faster annual rate for women with a history of PPD (b = 0.009, 95% CI = 0.007–0.011), compared to those without. We observed no interaction or mediation effects of physical activity, smoking, alcohol drinking, and dietary factors on the association between PPD and multimorbidity; however, women’s body mass index at baseline contributed to the association, with the mediation proportion of 6.38% (2.56–10.20%). Conclusions PPD was associated with higher risks of chronic diseases and multimorbidity in women’s mid-late life. This finding supports the importance of perinatal and postpartum mental health care, and its role in the prevention of chronic diseases and multimorbidity throughout women’s life course.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-03853-1Postpartum depressionDepressionChronic diseasesMultimorbidity |
| spellingShingle | Yue Zhang Yangyang Cheng Rodrigo M. Carrillo-Larco Yaguan Zhou Hui Wang Xiaolin Xu Postpartum depression in relation to chronic diseases and multimorbidity in women’s mid-late life: a prospective cohort study of UK Biobank BMC Medicine Postpartum depression Depression Chronic diseases Multimorbidity |
| title | Postpartum depression in relation to chronic diseases and multimorbidity in women’s mid-late life: a prospective cohort study of UK Biobank |
| title_full | Postpartum depression in relation to chronic diseases and multimorbidity in women’s mid-late life: a prospective cohort study of UK Biobank |
| title_fullStr | Postpartum depression in relation to chronic diseases and multimorbidity in women’s mid-late life: a prospective cohort study of UK Biobank |
| title_full_unstemmed | Postpartum depression in relation to chronic diseases and multimorbidity in women’s mid-late life: a prospective cohort study of UK Biobank |
| title_short | Postpartum depression in relation to chronic diseases and multimorbidity in women’s mid-late life: a prospective cohort study of UK Biobank |
| title_sort | postpartum depression in relation to chronic diseases and multimorbidity in women s mid late life a prospective cohort study of uk biobank |
| topic | Postpartum depression Depression Chronic diseases Multimorbidity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-03853-1 |
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