Seasonal variations in mood and behavior associate with common chronic diseases and symptoms in a population-based study

The purpose of this study was to assess how seasonality is associated with some of the most common non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the general Finnish population. The global seasonality score (GSS) was used to measure the magnitude of seasonality in 4689 participants, in addition to which they reported the extent to which the seasonal variations in mood and behavior were experienced as a problem. Regression models and the odds ratios were adopted to analyze the associations adjusted for a range of covariates. Seventy percent of the participants had seasonal variations in sleep duration, social activity, mood, or energy level, and forty percent those in weight and appetite. Angina pectoris and depression were significantly associated with seasonality throughout the analysis. Hypertension, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, other (than rheumatoid) joint diseases and other (than depressive) psychological illnesses were significantly associated with experiencing a problem due to the seasonal variations, with an increase in the GSS, and with seasonal affective disorder and its subsyndromal form. The co-occurrence of the seasonal variations in mood and behavior with certain common NCDs warrants future research to have insights into the etiology and potentially shared pathways and mechanisms of action.

[1]  J. Lönnqvist,et al.  Seasonal Changes in Mood and Behavior Are Linked to Metabolic Syndrome , 2008, PloS one.

[2]  R. Perritt,et al.  When throughout the year is coronary death most likely to occur? A 12-year population-based analysis of more than 220 000 cases. , 1999, Circulation.

[3]  Richard J. Davidson,et al.  Affective neural circuitry and mind–body influences in asthma , 2009, NeuroImage.

[4]  N. Meader,et al.  Prevalence of depression, anxiety, and adjustment disorder in oncological, haematological, and palliative-care settings: a meta-analysis of 94 interview-based studies. , 2011, The Lancet. Oncology.

[5]  Janet B W Williams,et al.  Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , 2013 .

[6]  W. Liang.  Seasonal Changes in Preprandial Glucose, A1C, and Blood Pressure in Diabetic Patients , 2007, Diabetes Care.

[7]  Edward Giovannucci,et al.  Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Risk of Incident Hypertension , 2007, Hypertension.

[8]  Z. Massy,et al.  Uremia accelerates both atherosclerosis and arterial calcification in apolipoprotein E knockout mice. , 2004, Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN.

[9]  Yuichiro Oka,et al.  Relationship between serum uric acid concentration, metabolic syndrome and carotid atherosclerosis. , 2006, Internal medicine.

[10]  S. Pallesen,et al.  Seasonality is associated with anxiety and depression: the Hordaland health study. , 2008, Journal of affective disorders.

[11]  N. Rosenthal,et al.  Environmetal and Behavioral Influences on Affective Illness , 1988, Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica. Supplementum.

[12]  Seasonal Variations of Current Symptoms in a Healthy Population , 1993, British Journal of Psychiatry.

[13]  V. Arolt,et al.  The relationship between subtypes of depression and cardiovascular disease: a systematic review of biological models , 2012, Translational Psychiatry.

[14]  J. Shaw,et al.  Global estimates of the prevalence of diabetes for 2010 and 2030. , 2010, Diabetes research and clinical practice.

[15]  Wayne Katon,et al.  Relationship of depression and diabetes self-care, medication adherence, and preventive care. , 2004, Diabetes care.

[16]  A. Magnússon.  Validation of the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). , 1996, Journal of affective disorders.

[17]  S. Pallesen,et al.  Increased Health Risk in Subjects with High Self-Reported Seasonality , 2010, PloS one.

[18]  U. Laufs,et al.  Chronische Herzinsuffizienz: Teufelskreis aus geringer Einnahmetreue von Medikamenten und kardialer Dekompensation , 2014, Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift.

[19]  K. Freedland,et al.  The prevalence of comorbid depression in adults with diabetes: a meta-analysis. , 2001, Diabetes care.

[20]  P. Barnes,et al.  Circadian variation in airway function. , 1985, The American journal of medicine.

[21]  Seasonal affective disorder. , 1994, The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science.

[22]  Kelly J. Rohan,et al.  Biological and Psychological Mechanisms of Seasonal Affective Disorder: A Review and Integration , 2009 .

[23]  H. Moldofsky,et al.  Seasonal symptom severity in patients with rheumatic diseases: a study of 1,424 patients. , 2001, The Journal of rheumatology.

[24]  L. Sher.  Effects of seasonal mood changes on seasonal variations in coronary heart disease: role of immune system, infection, and inflammation. , 2001, Medical hypotheses.

[25]  C. Camargo,et al.  Circadian-rhythm differences among emergency department patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation. , 2003, Chronobiology international.

[26]  A. Well,et al.  Seasonal Variation of Depression and Other Moods: A Longitudinal Approach , 2000, Journal of biological rhythms.

[27]  O. Tochikubo,et al.  Seasonal Influence on Blood Pressure in Elderly Normotensive Subjects , 2008, Hypertension Research.

[28]  J. Wedzicha,et al.  The causes and consequences of seasonal variation in COPD exacerbations , 2014, International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

[29]  D. Lewis.  Insulin tolerance test in depression. , 1985, Psychiatric medicine.

[30]  Jean-François Dartigues,et al.  Relationship between blood pressure and outdoor temperature in a large sample of elderly individuals: the Three-City study. , 2009, Archives of internal medicine.

[31]  G. Curhan,et al.  Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Risk of Incident Hypertension Among Young Women , 2008, Hypertension.

[32]  M. De la Fuente,et al.  Chronobiology of the neuroimmunoendocrine system and aging. , 2014, Current pharmaceutical design.

[33]  S. Dilsaver,et al.  Bulimia and anorexia nervosa in winter depression: lifetime rates in a clinical sample. , 1996, Journal of psychiatry & neuroscience : JPN.

[34]  S. Pandi-Perumal,et al.  Seasonal Affective Disorder: Practice and Research , 2009 .

[35]  I. Rahman,et al.  Serotonin and Corticosterone Rhythms in Mice Exposed to Cigarette Smoke and in Patients with COPD: Implication for COPD-Associated Neuropathogenesis , 2014, PloS one.

[36]  Timothy H. Monk,et al.  Sleep and circadian rhythms , 1991, Experimental Gerontology.

[37]  A. Day,et al.  Depression and Anxiety As Predictors of Outcome After Myocardial Infarction , 2000, Psychosomatic medicine.

[38]  F. Turek,et al.  Sleep and circadian rhythms: Key components in the regulation of energy metabolism , 2008, FEBS letters.

[39]  Patty Freedson,et al.  Seasonal variation in serum cholesterol levels: treatment implications and possible mechanisms. , 2004, Archives of internal medicine.

[40]  B. Hollis,et al.  Vitamin D vs broad spectrum phototherapy in the treatment of seasonal affective disorder. , 1999, The journal of nutrition, health & aging.

[41]  K. Wells,et al.  Psychiatric disorder in a sample of the general population with and without chronic medical conditions. , 1988, The American journal of psychiatry.

[42]  A. Wirz-Justice,et al.  Eating style in seasonal affective disorder: who will gain weight in winter? , 1997, Comprehensive psychiatry.

[43]  F. Goodwin,et al.  Seasonal affective disorder. A description of the syndrome and preliminary findings with light therapy. , 1984, Archives of general psychiatry.

[44]  E. Ritz,et al.  Uric acid and chronic kidney disease: which is chasing which? , 2013, Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation : official publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association - European Renal Association.

[45]  Christopher M. O’Connor,et al.  Depression and Heart Disease , 2002, CNS drugs.

[46]  Michael Berk,et al.  Vitamin D deficiency may play a role in depression. , 2007, Medical hypotheses.

[47]  Seasonal Affective Disorder and Light Therapy , 2008 .

[48]  C. Randler,et al.  Circadian Typology: A Comprehensive Review , 2012, Chronobiology international.

[49]  H. Ueshima,et al.  Seasonal pattern of incidence and case fatality of acute myocardial infarction in a Japanese population (from the Takashima AMI Registry, 1988 to 2003). , 2008, The American journal of cardiology.

[50]  Jouko Lönnqvist,et al.  Seasonal affective disorder , 1998, The Lancet.

[51]  A. Magnússon,et al.  The Diagnosis, Symptomatology, and Epidemiology of Seasonal Affective Disorder , 2005, CNS Spectrums.

[52]  J. Blanch,et al.  Psychiatric morbidity and impact on hospital length of stay among hematologic cancer patients receiving stem-cell transplantation. , 2002, Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

[53]  Bruce Leff,et al.  The prevalence of clinically-relevant comorbid conditions in patients with physician-diagnosed COPD: a cross-sectional study using data from NHANES 1999–2008 , 2012, BMC Pulmonary Medicine.

[54]  C. Hoven,et al.  Seasonal variations in internalizing, externalizing, and substance use disorders in youth , 2000, Psychiatry Research.

[55]  N. Clark,et al.  Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes: Response to Power , 2006 .

[56]  K. Ismail.  Eating disorders and diabetes , 2008 .

[57]  Allen T. G. Lansdowne,et al.  Vitamin D3 enhances mood in healthy subjects during winter , 1998, Psychopharmacology.

[58]  R. Kathol,et al.  Relationship of depression to medical illness. A critical review. , 1981, Journal of affective disorders.

[59]  M. Kopp,et al.  The Relationship of Biological and Psychological Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Disorders in a Large-scale National Representative Community Survey , 2006, Behavioral medicine.

[60]  H. Dam,et al.  Prevalence of winter depression in Denmark , 1998, Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica.

[61]  R. Gorlin,et al.  The nature and course of depression following myocardial infarction. , 1989, Archives of internal medicine.

[62]  G. Heninger,et al.  Insulin tolerance test in depression. , 1969, Archives of general psychiatry.

[63]  D. Ford,et al.  Depression and Risk for Onset of Type II Diabetes: A prospective population-based study , 1996, Diabetes Care.

[64]  U. Laufs,et al.  Chronische Herzinsuffizienz: Teufelskreis aus geringer Einnahmetreue von Medikamenten und kardialer Dekompensation , 2014, Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift.

[65]  C Thompson,et al.  A comparison of normal, bipolar and seasonal affective disorder subjects using the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire. , 1988, Journal of affective disorders.

[66]  A. Adan,et al.  Are seasonality of mood and eveningness closely associated? , 2005, Psychiatry Research.

[67]  M. Echteld,et al.  Associations of symptoms of anxiety and depression with diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors in older people with intellectual disability. , 2015, Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR.

[68]  D. Fabian,et al.  The global burden of asthma: executive summary of the GINA Dissemination Committee Report , 2004, Allergy.

[69]  R. Morriss,et al.  Seasonal Affective Disorder: Practice and Research , 2001, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[70]  R. Arora,et al.  Depression and Heart Disease: Therapeutic Implications , 2008, Cardiology.

[71]  Christine R Ernst.  Winter depression and diabetes. , 2012, Critical care nursing clinics of North America.

[72]  B. Mulsant,et al.  Post stroke depression: epidemiology, pathophysiology, and biological treatment , 2002, Biological Psychiatry.

[73]  F. Dhabhar,et al.  Circadian disruption and biomarkers of tumor progression in breast cancer patients awaiting surgery , 2015, Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.

[74]  M. Boyle,et al.  Estimated Prevalence of the Seasonal Subtype of Major Depression in a Canadian Community Sample , 2000, Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie.

[75]  Diane Boivin,et al.  Seasonal Affective Disorder: An Overview , 2003, Chronobiology international.

[76]  E. Haus,et al.  Diurnal and twenty-four hour patterning of human diseases: acute and chronic common and uncommon medical conditions. , 2015, Sleep medicine reviews.

[77]  L. Harrison,et al.  Seasonal Changes in Preprandial Glucose, A1C, and Blood Pressure in Diabetic Patients , 2007, Diabetes Care.

[78]  C. Lavie,et al.  Adverse psychological and coronary risk profiles in young patients with coronary artery disease and benefits of formal cardiac rehabilitation. , 2006, Archives of internal medicine.

[79]  J. Healy,et al.  Excess winter mortality in Europe: a cross country analysis identifying key risk factors , 2003, Journal of epidemiology and community health.

[80]  R. de Graaf,et al.  Seasonal variations in mental disorders in the general population of a country with a maritime climate: findings from the Netherlands mental health survey and incidence study. , 2005, American journal of epidemiology.

[81]  W. Katon.  Epidemiology and treatment of depression in patients with chronic medical illness. , 2011, Dialogues in clinical neuroscience.

[82]  D. Kendall,et al.  Eating Disorders and Diabetes: Screening and Detection , 2009, Diabetes Spectrum.

[83]  P. O'Neil,et al.  A prospective study of holiday weight gain. , 2000, The New England journal of medicine.

[84]  S Kasper,et al.  Epidemiological findings of seasonal changes in mood and behavior. A telephone survey of Montgomery County, Maryland. , 1989, Archives of general psychiatry.

[85]  M. Holick.  Optimal Vitamin D Status for the Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis , 2007, Drugs & aging.

[86]  H. Johnson,et al.  A comparison of 'traditional' and multimedia information systems development practices , 2003, Inf. Softw. Technol..

[87]  W. Katon,et al.  Depression and diabetes: impact of depressive symptoms on adherence, function, and costs. , 2000, Archives of internal medicine.

[88]  Wayne. J. Katon,et al.  Epidemiology and treatment of depression in patients with chronic medical illness , 2011, Dialogues in clinical neuroscience.