People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who also suffer from depression or anxiety are at greater risk for symptom attacks, called exacerbations, than those without these conditions, says a new study.
Dr. Jean Boubeau, from McGill University in Montreal, Canada and his team studied 491 Chinese patients with stable COPD aged at least 30 years. All participants were assessed for depression and anxiety at the start of the study and were followed for a period of one year.
During the one year period, the participants were monitored for signs of exacerbations, such as an increase in sputum, a change in sputum color, or increased shortness of breath.
Over the course of the study, the participants experienced more than 1300 exacerbations and the researchers found that those with depression were 51-56% more likely to experience an exacerbation. They were also 72% more likely to require hospital treatment for the exacerbation.
The researchers further found that those with anxiety experienced significantly longer exacerbations than those without.
This research is important, according to Dr. Bourbeau, because it shows that depression and anxiety should be treated as risk factors rather than simply co-existing disorders that are caused by COPD.
Further research is needed, say the team, to determine whether treatment of depression and anxiety can reduce COPD exacerbations.
The study appears in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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