Inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder – A systematic review and meta-analysis

Evidence suggests a role for low-grade inflammation and oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of peripheral markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in children and adolescents under 20 years of age with bipolar disorder. We searched PubMed, Embase and psycINFO and performed random effects meta-analysis calculating standardized mean differences (SMD) of marker levels between patients with bipolar disorder and healthy control individuals. Ten studies comprising a total of 418 patients with bipolar disorder and 3017 healthy control individuals were included. The levels of C-Reactive Protein were higher in patients with bipolar disorder compared with healthy individuals (SMD 0.53; 95 %CI: 0.33–0.74; I2 = 0 %). For other biomarkers there were no statistically significant differences between groups. Findings were limited by a low number of studies and participants and methodological issues in the included studies. More and larger studies using rigorous methodology are needed to establish the role of inflammation and oxidative stress in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder. •Mean levels of C-Reactive Protein were higher in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder compared with healthy individuals (SMD 0.53; 95 % CI: 0.33–0.74; I2 = 0 %).•For other inflammatory and oxidative stress markers there were no differences between patients with bipolar disorder and healthy individuals.•There were no differences in the levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers between patients with type I and type II bipolar disorder.