Depression and anxiety in COPD patients: impact on health-related quality of life in a tertiary care setting

Objective: To determine the frequency of depression and anxiety in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients, and to determine the impact of anxiety and depression on health-related quality of life. Method: The cross-sectional, analytical study was conducted at the outpatient department of the Indus Hospital, Karachi, from June 14 to December 14, 2022, and comprised patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. All patients were evaluated for anxiety, depression and health-related quality of life using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the St. George Respiratory Questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS 26. Results: Of the 192 patients with mean age 61.44±9.66 years, 139(72.4%) were male. The frequency of anxiety and depression was 74(38.5%) and 67(34.9%), respectively. Multivariate models showed that COPD duration, physical inactivity and anxiety/depression were significant predictors of HR-QOL, but after adjusting for confounders, anxiety/depression remained strongly associated with Hr-QOL, with mean scores 22.9 points higher among patients with anxiety/depression compared to those without (95% CI: 18.29-27.5; p<0.001). Conclusion: Depression and anxiety significantly worsened health-related quality of life in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. Key Words: Depression, Anxiety, Pulmonary disease, Chronic obstructive, Surveys and questionnaires, Quality of life, Prevalence.