Depressive symptoms and muscular fitness contribute independently to the ability to perform daily life activities in people with bipolar disorder

Abstract

Background: Compared with healthy controls, people with bipolar disorder experience muscle weakness. The extent to which muscle weakness influences the performance of daily life activities such as walking in people with bipolar disorder requiring hospitalization is unclear. Aims: The primary aim of the current study was to explore whether depressive symptoms and muscular fitness independently contribute to the walking capacity in people with bipolar disorder. A secondary aim was to identify variables that could explain the variability in muscular fitness. Methods: Forty-two inpatients with bipolar disorder performed a standing broad jump test (SBJ), a measure of muscular performance, and the six minute walk test (6MWT) in addition to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), the Depressive Symptomatology Self Report (QIDS) and a full-fasting metabolic screening. Results: The correlation between the 6MWT (595.0 ± 127.3m) and SBJ (126.2 ± 48.6m) was high (r = 0.72, p < 0.001). In backward regression analyzes, 82.3% of the variance in 6MWT was explained by SJB, QIDS (7.6 ± 5.1) and the presence of metabolic syndrome (n = 16; 38%), while 83.0% of the variance in SBJ-score was explained by age, and the QIDS and IPAQ (1435.3 ± 1179.8 MET-min/week) scores. Conclusions: Depressive symptoms and muscular fitness contribute independently to daily life functioning in people with bipolar disorder. Thus, muscular rehabilitation strategies might offer a strategy for improving performance of daily life activities in this group.

Keywords:

• Muscle weakness
• fitness
• physical activity
• metabolic syndrome
• walking
• bipolar disorder

Acknowledgments

Dr. Davy Vancampfort is funded by the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen).

Disclosure statement

There are no conflicts of interest to report.