Anxiety and depression among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Anxiety, depression and COPD

Abstract

Objective: to establish some variables associated with anxiety and depression with clinical importance in patients with COPD from the outpatient clinic in Santa Marta, Colombia.

Design: a cross-sectional analytical study.

Background: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic disease that affects approximately one in ten people in the general Colombian population. COPD is often associated with anxiety and depression. However, information on the variables associated with anxiety and depression in patients with COPD is limited.

Participants: adult COPD patients were included. The patients were classified according to the GOLD initiative and the combined assessment.

Interventions: none.

Measurements: clinically important anxiety and depression were assessed with the 10-item versions of the Zung scales.

Results: 409 patients between 40 and 102 years of age participated, mean of 73.0 years (SD=10.2 years), 58.7% male, 88.8% married (or in free union), 73.6% residents in low stratum (I, II or III), 92.7% exposed to cigarettes or wood smoke (biomass), 44.5% in GOLD 3 or 4, 22.2% classified in the combined evaluation C or D, 19.1% presented clinically significant anxiety and 27.9% clinically significant depression. Clinically important anxiety showed a significant association with the combined assessment C or D (OR=2.08, 95%CI 1.19-3.63) and female sex (OR=1.80, 95%CI 1.10- 2.99) and depression with clinical importance showed a significant relationship with female sex (OR=2.35, 95%CI 1.50-3.70) and the combined C or D evaluation (OR=2.04, 95%CI 1.22-3.42).

Conclusions: The prevalence of clinically important anxiety and depression is high in COPD patients. Anxiety and depression are associated with female gender and the severity of COPD. Anxiety and depression must be evaluated in all patients with COPD evaluated in an outpatient clinic, particularly in women and in patients classified C or D in the combined evaluation.