Factors affecting the relationship between psychological status and quality of life in COPD patients

• Published in: Health and quality of life outcomes Vol. 8; no. 1; p. 108
• Main Authors: Balcells, Eva, Gea, Joaquim, Ferrer, Jaume, Serra, Ignasi, Orozco-Levi, Mauricio, de Batlle, Jordi, Rodriguez, Esther, Benet, Marta, Donaire-González, David, Antó, Josep M, Garcia-Aymerich, Judith
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 27.09.2010; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Aged; Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders - etiology; Care and treatment; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression, Mental; Depressive Disorder - etiology; Diagnosis; Diagnostic Self Evaluation; Employment - psychology; Employment - statistics & numerical data; Epidemiology; Estudi de casos; Evaluation; Female; Health aspects; Health sciences; Health Status; Humans; Lung diseases, Obstructive; Malalties; Malalties obstructives; Male; Medical research; Middle Aged; Mortality; Oxygen therapy; Patient satisfaction; Prognosis; Psychological aspects; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - psychology; Pulmons; Quality of Life; Questionnaires; Regression Analysis; Respiratory diseases; Retirement - psychology; Retirement - statistics & numerical data; Risk factors; Severity of Illness Index; Society; Socioeconomic Factors; Statistical analysis; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teaching hospitals; Thoracic surgery
• ISSN: 1477-7525; 1477-7525
• DOI: 10.1186/1477-7525-8-108

This study aims to (i) evaluate the association between anxiety and depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL); and (ii) identify the effect modifiers of this relationship in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A total of 337 clinically stable COPD patients answered the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) (assessing HRQoL) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Socio-demographic information, lung function, and other clinical data were collected. Most patients (93%) were male; they had a mean (SD) age of 68 (9) years and mild to very severe COPD (post-bronchodilator FEV1 52 (16)% predicted). Multivariate analyses showed that anxiety, depression, or both conditions were associated with poor HRQoL (for all SGRQ domains). The association between anxiety and total HRQoL score was 6.7 points higher (indicating a worse HRQoL) in current workers than in retired individuals. Estimates for patients with "both anxiety and depression" were 5.8 points lower in stage I-II than in stage III-IV COPD, and 10.2 points higher in patients with other comorbidities than in those with only COPD. This study shows a significant association between anxiety, depression, or both conditions and impaired HRQoL. Clinically relevant factors affecting the magnitude of this association include work status, COPD severity, and the presence of comorbidities.