Psychological distress and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the Renfrew and Paisley (MIDSPAN) study

• Published in: Journal of epidemiology and community health (1979) Vol. 60; no. 9; pp. 789 - 792
• Main Authors: Pembroke, Thomas P I, Rasul, Farhat, Hart, Carole L, Davey Smith, George, Stansfeld, Stephen A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 01.09.2006; BMJ; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Group
• Subjects: Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Bronchial Diseases - epidemiology; Bronchitis; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; COPD; Disease; Dyspnea - epidemiology; Female; FEV1; forced expiratory flow in one second; Forced Expiratory Flow Rates - physiology; General aspects; GHQ; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical research; Medical Research Council; Medical sciences; Mens health; Middle Aged; MIDSPAN study; Miscellaneous; MRC; psychological distress; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - epidemiology; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - psychology; Questionnaires; Research Report; Respiratory function; Risk Factors; Scotland - epidemiology; Sex Factors; Stress, Psychological - epidemiology; Studies; Womens health; Scotland; Human; Lung disease; Respiratory disease; Chronic disease; Male; Epidemiology; Medicine; Chronic; Psychological distress; Bronchus disease; Female; Obstructive pulmonary disease; Woman; Public health
• ISSN: 0143-005X; 1470-2738
• DOI: 10.1136/jech.2005.042150

Background: This study examined whether psychological distress might be a predictor of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Method: The relation between psychological distress at baseline, measured by the general health questionnaire (GHQ), and chronic bronchitis three years later, as measured by the Medical Research Council (MRC) bronchitis questionnaire and forced expiratory flow in one second (FEV1), was examined in 1682 men and 2203 women from the Renfrew and Paisley (MIDSPAN) study. The analyses were run on men and women separately and adjustments were made for age, socioeconomic position, and lung function at baseline (FEV1). People with chronic diseases at baseline were then excluded to give a “healthy” baseline cohort. The effect of psychological distress on individual components of the MRC bronchitis questionnaire and FEV1 was also assessed. Results: In multivariate analyses of the whole cohort baseline psychological distress in women was associated with reduced FEV1 at follow up (OR 1.31 95% CI 1.0 to 1.73) after adjustment. In women, in the healthy cohort, psychological distress was associated with chronic bronchitis (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.16 to 3.46), symptoms of bronchial infection (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.44 to 3.19), symptoms of breathlessness (OR 3.02, 95% CI 1.99 to 4.59), and reduced FEV1 (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.13 to 2.32). In men psychological distress predicted symptoms of bronchial infection (OR 2.09, 95% CI 1.28 to 3.42). Conclusion: This study supports research suggesting that psychological distress is associated with COPD and shows that psychological distress predicts COPD in women. The robustness of the association and the exact mechanism requires further investigation.