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

Bauer, M. et al. (2023) Exploratory study of ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation and age of onset of bipolar disorder. International Journal of Bipolar Disorders, 11, 22. (doi: 10.1186/s40345-023-00303-w) (PMID:37347392) (PMCID:PMC10287592)

Abstract

Background: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusion: 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.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: MacKenzie, Dr Alan
• Authors: 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., Belizario, G. O., Bellivier, F., Belmaker, R. H., Benedetti, F., Berk, M., Bersudsky, Y., Bicakci, Ş., Birabwa-Oketcho, H., Bjella, T. D., Brady, C., Cabrera, J., Cappucciati, M., Castro, A. M. P., Chen, W.-L., Cheung, E. Y. W., Chiesa, S., Crowe, M., Cuomo, A., Dallaspezia, S., Del Zompo, M., Desai, P., Dodd, S., Etain, B., Fagiolini, A., Fellendorf, F. T., Ferensztajn-Rochowiak, E., Fiedorowicz, J. G., Fountoulakis, K. N., Frye, M. A., Geoffroy, P. A., Gitlin, M. J., Gonzalez-Pinto, A., Gottlieb, J. F., Grof, P., Haarman, B. C. M., Harima, H., Hasse-Sousa, M., Henry, C., Hoffding, L., Houenou, J., Imbesi, M., Isometsä, E. T., Ivkovic, M., Janno, S., Johnsen, S., Kapczinski, F., Karakatsoulis, G. N., Kardell, M., Kessing, L. V., Kim, S. J., König, B., Kot, T. L., Koval, M., Kunz, M., Lafer, B., Landén, M., Larsen, E. R., Lenger, M., Licht, R. W., Lopez-Jaramillo, C., MacKenzie, A., Madsen, H. Ø., Madsen, S. A. K. A., Mahadevan, J., Mahardika, A., Manchia, M., Marsh, W., Martinez-Cengotitabengoa, M., Martini, J., Martiny, K., Mashima, Y., McLoughlin, D. M., Meesters, Y., Melle, I., Meza-Urzúa, F., Mikolas, P., Mok, Y. M., Monteith, S., Moorthy, M., Morken, G., Mosca, E., Mozzhegorov, A. A., Munoz, R., Mythri, S. V., Nacef, F., Nadella, R. K., Nakanotani, T., Nielsen, R. E., O’Donovan, C., Omrani, A., Osher, Y., Ouali, U., Pantovic-Stefanovic, M., Pariwatcharakul, P., Petite, J., Petzold, J., Pfennig, A., Ruiz, Y. P., Pinna, M., Pompili, M., Porter, R. J., Quiroz, D., Rabelo-da-Ponte, F. D., Ramesar, R., Rasgon, N., Ratta-apha, W., Ratzenhofer, M., Redahan, M., Reddy, M. S., Reif, A., Reininghaus, E. Z., Richards, J. G., Ritter, P., Rybakowski, J. K., Sathyaputri, L., Scippa, A. M., Simhandl, C., Smith, D., Smith, J., Stackhouse, P. W., Stein, D. J., Stilwell, K., Strejilevich, S., Su, K.-P., Subramaniam, M., Sulaiman, A. H., Suominen, K., Tanra, A. J., Tatebayashi, Y., Teh, W. L., Tondo, L., Torrent, C., Tuinstra, D., Uchida, T., Vaaler, A. E., Vieta, E., Viswanath, B., Yoldi-Negrete, M., Yalcinkaya, O. K., Young, A. H., Zgueb, Y., and Whybrow, P. C.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing
• Journal Name: International Journal of Bipolar Disorders
• Publisher: SpringerOpen
• ISSN: 2194-7511
• ISSN (Online): 2194-7511
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Authors
• First Published: First published in International Journal of Bipolar Disorders 11: 22
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License