The Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms and Their Association With Respiratory Diseases

Introduction: Patients with respiratory diseases face adverse situations such as symptom management, general condition deterioration, and a hostile perception of the hospital environment, favoring the appearance of anxiety and depression. Methods: A total of 317 patients hospitalized for a disease of pulmonary origin were analyzed and divided into the following subgroups: infectious, oncological, acute, and chronic diseases. Patients over 18 years of age with preserved cognitive capacity were included in the study. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was applied to them on the second or fourth day of their hospital stay and five days after the first evaluation. Multiple linear regression models were carried out to analyze the association between anxiety and depression measured over two different periods. The models present the statistically significant variables with a 95% confidence level. Results: The patients presented with anxiety in 74.4% of cases, mainly those with acute respiratory diseases (42.4%) and neoplastic diseases (27.5%). A total of 69.5% presented with depression, with symptoms more significant in those with chronic and oncological pulmonary diseases and those with no job. Patients with at least one comorbidity presented with anxiety in 53.9% of cases and depression in 52.1% of cases. Linear regression models were carried out and showed that anxiety was 1.75 and 1.84 times more frequent in patients with chronic diseases compared to those with infectious pathologies in the first and second reviews, respectively. The linear regression model also showed a higher frequency of depressive symptoms in patients with chronic conditions (1.62 times) compared to the group with infectious and contagious pathologies, and prolonged hospital stays were associated with depressive symptoms 1.37 times more than short stays. Conclusions: Anxiety and depression are frequent disorders in patients with respiratory diseases, negatively affecting the prognosis. Routine mental health screening and multidisciplinary management are essential in this population.