A Correlation Study to Determine the Prevalence of Depression and Connected Risk Factors Among Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive respiratory condition that often presents with comorbid mental health disorders, particularly depression, which significantly influences patients' quality of life and disease outcomes. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of depression in COPD patients and identify the associated risk factors while also evaluating their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). A crosssectional observational study was conducted at Max Healthcare's pulmonology outpatient department (OPD). 124 patients aged over 35 years with confirmed COPD and no recent hospitalisations were enrolled. Data were collected using the patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to assess depression and the short form-36 (SF36) questionnaire to evaluate HRQoL. Descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and Tukey honest significant difference (HSD) tests were applied to identify significant associations. Depression was prevalent among COPD patients, with significant associations found between higher disability grades and global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease (GOLD) stages with increased PHQ-9 scores (p = 0.003 and p < 0.001, respectively). Similarly, lower SF-36 scores were significantly correlated with more advanced disease severity (p < 0.001). No statistically significant differences in depression or HRQoL were observed based on gender, age, occupation, education, diet, smoking, or alcohol consumption. Depression is a significant comorbidity in COPD, particularly in patients with severe disease and higher disability grades. Timely psychological assessment and integrated care approaches are essential to improve patient outcomes