Impact of asthma on anxiety, depression, and quality of life: a Moroccan study

Aim: This study aims to investigate the impact of asthma on quality of life, explore its associations with anxiety and depression, and identify the key determining factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the pulmonology department of Hassan II University Hospital in Fez in 2021. Data were collected using an anonymous questionnaire that included sociodemographic, clinical, and therapeutic information. The Moroccan versions of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Short-Form-12 (SF-12) scale were used to assess anxiety, depression, and quality of life. Descriptive analysis was performed, followed by univariate analysis to examine the associations between quality of life, anxiety, depression, and other factors, using statistical tests appropriate for the types of variables studied. A p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Data entry was performed using Excel 2013, and statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 26. Results: Among the 67 patients included (77.6% women, 61.2% aged ≥ 50 years), wheezing (44.8%) and dyspnoea (26.9%) were the most frequent symptoms. Depression was significantly associated with pain (p = 0.020), and frequent hospitalizations (p = 0.021), while anxiety was more common among women (p = 0.034). For quality of life, patients with depression had lower physical component summary (PCS) scores (p = 0.008). Patients over 50 years old had significantly lower PCS and mental component summary (MCS) scores (p = 0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively). Illiterate patients had lower PCS scores (p = 0.022), hypertensive patients had lower PCS scores (p = 0.032), and a nearly significant difference for the MCS (p = 0.053). Diabetic patients had lower MCS scores (p = 0.034). Finally, a positive correlation was observed between respiratory function forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and both PCS scores (p = 0.025) and MCS scores (p = 0.018). Conclusions: This study underscores the importance of an integrated approach to enhancing the quality of life of asthmatic patients, taking into account respiratory, psychological, and social factors.