The medical comorbidities associated with bipolar disorder (BD) impose a heavy burden on society. We aimed to investigate the association between parental BD and severe bacterial infection among their offspring.
MethodsWe used data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Individuals whose parents were diagnosed with BD were identified as the index group, and a demographically matched control group was also selected. The primary outcome was hospitalization due to bacterial infection, and the bacterial pathogens were recorded. Cox regression models with multiple adjustments were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs).
ResultsThe study included 8707 offspring of parents with BD and 87,070 offspring of parents without severe mental disorders. After adjustments, the offspring of parents with BD had higher risks of severe bacterial infection (HR: 1.2, 95 % CI: 1.03–1.39), meningitis (HR: 1.45, 95 % CI: 1.02–2.06), and Klebsiella infection (HR: 3.76, 95 % CI: 1.58–8.94) than the controls. In addition, the offspring of fathers with BD had higher risks of severe bacterial infection, repeated severe bacterial infection, and septicemia than the offspring of fathers without a severe mental disorder.
ConclusionsWe identified an association between parental BD and an increased risk of bacterial infection in their offspring. Further research is warranted to better clarify the detailed mechanisms behind it.
