Exploratory study of ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation and age of onset of bipolar disorder.

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Authors

Bauer, Michael
Glenn, Tasha
Achtyes, Eric D
Alda, Martin
Agaoglu, Esen
Altınbaş, Kürsat
Andreassen, Ole A
Angelopoulos, Elias
Ardau, Raffaella
Aydin, Memduha

Issue Date

2023-06-22

Type

Journal Article

Language

en

Keywords

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Abstract

Sunlight contains ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation that triggers the production of vitamin D by skin. Vitamin D has widespread effects on brain function in both developing and adult brains. However, many people live at latitudes (about > 40 N or S) that do not receive enough UVB in winter to produce vitamin D. This exploratory study investigated the association between the age of onset of bipolar I disorder and the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production in a large global sample.
Data for 6972 patients with bipolar I disorder were obtained at 75 collection sites in 41 countries in both hemispheres. The best model to assess the relation between the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production and age of onset included 1 or more months below the threshold, family history of mood disorders, and birth cohort. All coefficients estimated at P ≤ 0.001.
The 6972 patients had an onset in 582 locations in 70 countries, with a mean age of onset of 25.6 years. Of the onset locations, 34.0% had at least 1 month below the threshold for UVB sufficient for vitamin D production. The age of onset at locations with 1 or more months of less than or equal to the threshold for UVB was 1.66 years younger.
UVB and vitamin D may have an important influence on the development of bipolar disorder. Study limitations included a lack of data on patient vitamin D levels, lifestyles, or supplement use. More study of the impacts of UVB and vitamin D in bipolar disorder is needed to evaluate this supposition.

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Citation

Bauer, M., Glenn, T., Achtyes, E. D., Alda, M., Agaoglu, E., Altınbaş, K., Andreassen, O. A., Angelopoulos, E., Ardau, R., Aydin, M., Ayhan, Y., Baethge, C., Bauer, R., Baune, B. T., Balaban, C., Becerra-Palars, C., Behere, A. P., Behere, P. B., Belete, H., Belete, T., … Whybrow, P. C. (2023). Exploratory study of ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation and age of onset of bipolar disorder. International journal of bipolar disorders, 11(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40345-023-00303-w

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License

© 2023. The Author(s).

Journal

International journal of bipolar disorders

Volume

11

Issue

1

PubMed ID

ISSN

2194-7511

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