Lower creatinine levels are associated with an increased risk of depression: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

IntroductionPrevious studies have found that depressive patients tend to have low levels of creatinine; however, the extent to which creatinine levels are associated with depression has been poorly investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the relationship between creatinine levels and de...

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Main Authors: Fajin Liu, Xiaogang Zhong, Cuiting Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-02-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychiatry
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1446897/full
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author Fajin Liu
Fajin Liu
Fajin Liu
Xiaogang Zhong
Cuiting Wang
Cuiting Wang
Cuiting Wang
author_facet Fajin Liu
Fajin Liu
Fajin Liu
Xiaogang Zhong
Cuiting Wang
Cuiting Wang
Cuiting Wang
author_sort Fajin Liu
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionPrevious studies have found that depressive patients tend to have low levels of creatinine; however, the extent to which creatinine levels are associated with depression has been poorly investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the relationship between creatinine levels and depression.MethodsThe participants and follow-up data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), as well as metabolomics data from the Metabolite Network of Depression Database (MENDA), were collected. The 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10) was used to assess the severity of depression. Spearman correlation analysis, spline regression, and binary logistic regression models were employed to explore the relationship between creatinine levels and depression.ResultsA total of 7,826 participants and 3,886 follow-up participants were included in the CHARLS 2011 and 2015 surveys. Of these, 37.9% (2,966/7,826) and 34.6% (13,44/3,886) of participants experienced depression in CHARLS 2011 and 2015, respectively. The creatinine level was negatively correlated with the total CESD-10 score and dimensions scores, showing an inverse dose–response relationship between creatinine levels and depression. Compared with participants with high creatinine levels, those with middle creatinine levels were associated with a higher risk of depression (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.08–1.38), while participants with low creatinine levels had the highest risk of depression (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.13–1.49) in the fully adjusted model. Similar results were observed in the follow-up data, and the MENDA metabolomics data validated the negative correlation between creatinine levels and the severity of depression.ConclusionLower levels of creatinine were closely associated with a higher risk of depression, and it could serve as a potential marker for identifying individuals at high risk of depression.
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spelling doaj-art-f9f93a4519634e0985d91b4e0b34d90c2025-08-20T02:44:28ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402025-02-011610.3389/fpsyt.2025.14468971446897Lower creatinine levels are associated with an increased risk of depression: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal StudyFajin Liu0Fajin Liu1Fajin Liu2Xiaogang Zhong3Cuiting Wang4Cuiting Wang5Cuiting Wang6Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, The Affiliated Rehabilitation Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaCollege of Rehabilitation Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Neurological Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Hospital of, Chongqing, ChinaNHC Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment on Brain Functional Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Neurological Rehabilitation, The Affiliated Rehabilitation Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaCollege of Rehabilitation Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, ChinaDepartment of Neurological Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Hospital of, Chongqing, ChinaIntroductionPrevious studies have found that depressive patients tend to have low levels of creatinine; however, the extent to which creatinine levels are associated with depression has been poorly investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the relationship between creatinine levels and depression.MethodsThe participants and follow-up data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), as well as metabolomics data from the Metabolite Network of Depression Database (MENDA), were collected. The 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10) was used to assess the severity of depression. Spearman correlation analysis, spline regression, and binary logistic regression models were employed to explore the relationship between creatinine levels and depression.ResultsA total of 7,826 participants and 3,886 follow-up participants were included in the CHARLS 2011 and 2015 surveys. Of these, 37.9% (2,966/7,826) and 34.6% (13,44/3,886) of participants experienced depression in CHARLS 2011 and 2015, respectively. The creatinine level was negatively correlated with the total CESD-10 score and dimensions scores, showing an inverse dose–response relationship between creatinine levels and depression. Compared with participants with high creatinine levels, those with middle creatinine levels were associated with a higher risk of depression (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.08–1.38), while participants with low creatinine levels had the highest risk of depression (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.13–1.49) in the fully adjusted model. Similar results were observed in the follow-up data, and the MENDA metabolomics data validated the negative correlation between creatinine levels and the severity of depression.ConclusionLower levels of creatinine were closely associated with a higher risk of depression, and it could serve as a potential marker for identifying individuals at high risk of depression.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1446897/fulldepressioncreatinineassociationChineseCHARLSMENDA
spellingShingle Fajin Liu
Fajin Liu
Fajin Liu
Xiaogang Zhong
Cuiting Wang
Cuiting Wang
Cuiting Wang
Lower creatinine levels are associated with an increased risk of depression: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study
Frontiers in Psychiatry
depression
creatinine
association
Chinese
CHARLS
MENDA
title Lower creatinine levels are associated with an increased risk of depression: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study
title_full Lower creatinine levels are associated with an increased risk of depression: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study
title_fullStr Lower creatinine levels are associated with an increased risk of depression: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study
title_full_unstemmed Lower creatinine levels are associated with an increased risk of depression: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study
title_short Lower creatinine levels are associated with an increased risk of depression: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study
title_sort lower creatinine levels are associated with an increased risk of depression evidence from the china health and retirement longitudinal study
topic depression
creatinine
association
Chinese
CHARLS
MENDA
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1446897/full
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