Inflammatory marker CRP predicts worse course of adolescent bipolar disorder

March 1, 2023 · Posted in C – May become important in the future · Comment 

Sudhir Karthikeyan in Ben Goldstein’s lab in Toronto reported in  Brain Behav Immun (2022) that in 79 adolescents the inflammatory marker CRP (C-Reactive Protein) was higher and the anti-inflammatory cytokine Il-10 was lower during the most ill periods compared to normal volunteers. “Moreover, higher CRP levels (p = 0.009) at intake predicted greater time to recovery from the index symptomatic episode.”  They concluded that: “In the first repeated-measures study on this topic in adolescents with BD, we found evidence that CRP, an inexpensive and ubiquitous blood test, may be useful in predicting the prospective course of BD symptoms. “