MedWire News: Patients who suffer from depression are significantly more likely to suffer from stomach ulcers and five other physical conditions than people without the mental health disorder, researchers have found.

"Many studies have examined the prevalence of depression in people with a range of medical disorders," explain Dr Anne Farmer, from the Institute of Psychiatry in London, UK, and colleagues.

But they add: "Few studies have examined the rates of physical disorders in those with well-defined recurrent depression."

To address this, the team surveyed 1546 participants with recurrent depression and 884 patients without the disorder.

All the participants were asked whether they had received treatment for one or more of 16 physical health conditions.

Initial analysis of the survey results revealed that 14 of the physical health conditions were more common in depressed patients than in the other participants.

However, after accounting for body mass index, age and other variables, the team found that just six of the physical health conditions, namely stomach ulcers, hayfever, osteoarthritis, thyroid disease, high blood pressure and asthma, were more common in depressed patients than the other patients.

Indeed, compared with the other participants, those with depression had a 4.3-fold increased risk of stomach ulcers, a 3.3-fold increased risk of hayfever, a 3.0-fold increased risk of osteoarthritis, a 2.2-fold increased risk of high blood pressure and a 2.2-fold increased risk of asthma.

Dr Farmer and team conclude: "People with recurrent depression show high rates of many common physical disorders."

They add: "Although long neglected, the physical health of those with schizophrenia is beginning to be addressed, particularly in relation to the weight gain associated with antipsychotic drugs. Our study suggests that attention also needs to be paid to the physical health needs of people with depression."

The research is published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.