Differences in Psychosocial Wellbeing between Rehabilitants with Asthma, COPD, and Long COVID

Pulmonary disorders are known to be associated with impairments in mental health and reduced quality of life (QoL). This study focusses on differences in psychosocial wellbeing of patients with common pulmonary disorders (Asthma, COPD, & long COVID) to better assess psychological strain and the need for additional psychotherapeutic interventions in rehabilitation. The study was conducted in a pulmonary rehabilitation clinic in Bad Reichenhall, Germany. At the beginning of the inpatient treatment, we assessed patients’ scores for depression, anxiety, Somatic Symptom Disorder, fatigue, and QoL alongside lung function parameters and baseline functional disability due to dyspnea. N=371 rehabilitants (age = 52.64±10.26; 39.3% female) were included, of which n=121 had Asthma, n=89 had COPD and n=161 had long COVID. Patients suffering from COPD had significantly the strongest physical impairments (p<0.001 for FEV1, VC, and DLCO) and reported the highest functional disability due to dyspnea (p<0.05). However, patients with long COVID showed the highest scores for depression (p<0.001) and fatigue (p<0.001). Furthermore, Somatic Symptom Disorder and the subjectively experienced QoL did not differ significantly between COPD- and long-COVID-patients, but between these two groups and Asthma-patients (p<0.001 each). These results demonstrate the disparity between physical impairment and mental disorders amongst common pulmonary disorders. Furthermore, they form a basis for disease-specific psychotherapeutic interventions in pulmonary rehabilitation.