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Anxiety, depression linked to poor asthma control

Depression and anxiety are common among individuals with asthma, and both comorbidities are associated with poor asthma control, according to results of a cross-sectional study.

Giorgio Ciprandi, MD, of the department of medicine at IRCCS — Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino in Italy, and colleagues analyzed 263 patients with asthma by performing a clinical examination that included testing lung function and measuring fractional exhaled nitric oxide.

Researchers also evaluated study participants’ Asthma Control Test (ACT) score, their perception of asthma symptoms on the visual analog scale, asthma control grade, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire scores.

Ninety-seven (36.9%) study participants had anxiety, 29 (11%) had depression, and 71 (26.9%) had both anxiety and depression. The mean HADS scores were 6.4 points for anxiety and 3.8 points for depression. A score of 7 points on each subscale indicates a strong link to anxiety or depression.

Results showed both anxiety (P = .007) and depression (P = .02) were associated with poor asthma control.

Study participants with abnormal HADS depression scores had significantly lower ACT scores (16.5 vs. 20.4) and lower forced vital capacity scores (96.8 vs. 102.2) than those with normal HADS depression scores.

Individuals with depression also had higher BMI (P = .002).

“The present study found that anxiety and depression are common comorbidities in asthmatic outpatients and are associated with uncontrolled asthma and lower ACT scores,” Ciprandi and colleagues wrote. “Thus, assessment of comorbid emotional disorders could be useful in managing asthmatic patients.” – by Jeff Craven

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.