Depression and anxiety and their related factors in non-cystic fibrosis stable bronchiectasis

Introduction: Bronchiectasis, as a chronic lung disease, may be associated with depression and anxiety disorders and thus decreased quality of life. Objectives: The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship of depression and anxiety with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. Patients and Methods: A total of 62 patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis referred to Referral University hospitals in Qazvin, Iran, were enrolled in this case-control study. The participants' depression and anxiety levels were measured using Beck Depression Inventory and Kettle's anxiety questionnaire, respectively. The control group was selected from healthy individuals with similar demographic characteristics to the patients. Results: Depression and anxiety were observed in 40.4% and 43.6% of patients respectively. The corresponding values were 32.8% and 32.2% in the control group. Mild anxiety had a significant relationship with bronchiectasis, since bronchiectasis increased the risk of mild anxiety by almost three times. This relationship remained significant after adjustments for gender and age (P = 0.013). No significant relationships were found between bronchiectasis and the prevalence of depression. Cough severity and sputum volume had a significant correlation with anxiety in patients with bronchiectasis (R = 0.374, P = 0.007 and R = 0.325, P = 0.022 respectively). Additionally, cough severity had a significant correlation with depression (R = 0.298, P = 0.037). Depression and anxiety were not associated with demographic characteristics, pulmonary function test, 6-minute walk test, colonization of airways with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and CT scan findings. Conclusion: Prevalence of anxiety and depression is high in stable non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. The severity of cough and daily sputum volume are most related factors; therefore treatment of these symptoms is very important for management of psychological aspect of the disease.