ASA: Women More Likely Than Men to Develop Depression After TBI

Meta-analysis of nine studies with 691,364 participants shows women more likely to develop depression after traumatic brain injury

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Oct. 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Following traumatic brain injury (TBI), women are significantly more likely to develop depression than men, according to research presented at ANESTHESIOLOGY 2023, the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, held from Oct. 13 to 17 in San Francisco.

Isaac G. Freedman, M.D., M.P.H., from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis to examine how gender impacts depression following TBI. Data were included from nine studies, with 691,364 individuals.

The researchers found that women had significantly greater odds of developing depression following TBI than men (odds ratio, 1.48) in the combined analysis of all nine studies and the subset of five studies. Across trials, the odds ratios were significantly heterogeneous (I² = 92.17 percent). In five studies without significant heterogeneity, the association persisted (odds ratio, 1.48).

“The resulting difference in brain circuits between men and women in combination with factors such as lack of social support, socioeconomic status, and inadequate treatment options may make some women more vulnerable to post-TBI depression,” senior author Benjamin F. Gruenbaum, M.D., Ph.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, said in a statement.