Debilitating symptoms resulting from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can become more pronounced in patients suffering from depression, according to a new study published in CHEST Journal.
For the study, researchers analyzed data on 1,589 COPD patients collected over a period of three years. More than half of these patients did not exhibit depressive symptoms. Nearly 25 percent of participants were categorized as persistently depressed and 14 percent of patients developed an onset of depression during the follow-up period. During follow-ups, patients were assessed for exercise endurance and quality of life. Depressed patients did not perform as well on the exercise evaluation and were found to have impaired quality of life when compared to patients without depressive symptoms.
Lead researcher Abebaw Mengistu Yohannes, a physiotherapy researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University in England, said, "It creates a strong argument for vigorous screening of mental health problems in patients who are admitted in the short term for exacerbations of COPD. Managing mental health problems associated with COPD should be an important part of the management plan for the short term as well as the discharge planning with longer-term follow-up."
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