Evaluation of Anxiety and Depression in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Abstract

Objective: Depression and anxiety are the comorbid diseases of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) and these diseases are more frequently in patients with serious progressive types of IPF. The aim of this study was to use the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) to evaluate the levels of depression and anxiety in IPF patients.Methods: A total of 27 patients were included to the study. Demographic characteristics, pulmonary function tests, GAP indexes (gender, age, and physiology), 6-minute walk test (MWT) values were recorded from the patient files. To measure the levels of anxiety and depression in patients with IPF, the validated Turkish version of the HADS, including 14 questions, was used.Results: Anxiety was determined in 33.3% of the patients and depression was detected in 37% of the patients. The patients’ avearage anxiety score was 5.5 and the mean depression score was 6.2. Desaturation in patients with anxiety was significantly higher (p<0.05) and was found to be higher in patients with depression (p<0.05). DLCO levels were detected to be lower in patients with depression (p <0.05).Conclusion: The quality of life of patients diagnosed with IPF can be improved by psychiatric assessment and adequate supportive care, including antidepressant medication and psychological therapy.