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Although characterizing associations between inflammation and depression may prove critical for informing theory, research, and treatment decisions, extant research has been limited by ignoring the possibility that inflammation may be simultaneously associated with depression broadly and with a subset of symptoms. This lack of direct comparison has hampered attempts to understand inflammatory phenotypes of depression and critically fails to consider that inflammation might be uniquely associated with both depression broadly and individual symptoms.

We used moderated nonlinear factor analysis in 5 NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) cohorts (N = 27,730, 51% female, mean age = 46 years).

C-reactive protein (CRP) is simultaneously associated with latent depression, appetite, and fatigue. Specifically, CRP was associated with latent depression in all 5 …