Prevalence of Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in Adults With Cystic Fibrosis Based on the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 Screening Questionnaires

Abstract

To examine the prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety among patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) who were followed up at the University of Washington Adult CF clinic and to identify sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with symptoms. A total of 178 adults with CF were asked to complete the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depression and General Anxiety Disorder-7 for anxiety when clinically stable. Clinically significant symptoms of depression and anxiety were defined in the following 2 ways: (1) symptom definition-presence of moderate-to-severe symptoms based on the questionnaires and (2) composite definition-symptom definition or the use of psychiatric medications to manage symptoms. Associations between Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and General Anxiety Disorder-7 scores with sociodemographic (gender, age, age of CF diagnosis, vocation, and spousal status) and clinical factors (forced expiratory volume in 1 second, body mass index, and CF-related diabetes on insulin) were examined. Of 178 patients, 153 (85%) completed the screening questionnaires. Based on the symptom definition, 7% of patients had symptoms of depression and 5% had symptoms of anxiety. Using the composite definition, 22% of patients had symptoms of depression and 10% had symptoms of anxiety. Based on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, 5% of patients reported suicidal thoughts. In multiple linear regression analysis, only forced expiratory volume in 1 second % predicted was independently associated with Patient Health Questionnaire-9 depression scores, and no sociodemographic or clinical factors were associated with General Anxiety Disorder-7 anxiety scores. We conclude that all adults with CF should be screened for symptoms of depression and anxiety given the difficulty in identifying strong clinical risk factors and the unexpected high rates of suicidal ideation.