Relationship between anxiety, depression and asthma control

Abstract

To explore the relationship between psychological status of depression and anxiety and asthma control. A total of 144 definite physician-diagnosed asthmatics at First Affiliated Hospital, Zhengzhou University from March 2011 to March 2012 were evaluated with the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depressive scale (SDS). And 85 healthy subjects were selected as the controls and evaluated by the asthma control test (ACT). The incidence of anxiety and depression and scores of SAS and SDS was compared between the asthma group and health controls. The relationship was analyzed between the scores of ACT and SAS or SDS respectively. The subjects were divided into anxiety, non-anxiety, depression and non-depression groups according to the scores of SAS and SDS. The inter-group differences in ACT scores were compared. According to the asthma control test scale, the asthmatics were divided into the control, non-control and partial control groups. And the inter-group differences in the scores of SAS and SDS were compared. Anxiety (20.1%) and depression (35.4%) was more common in asthmatics than healthy controls (both P < 0.01). Scores of SAS (40.8 ± 8.1) and SDS (44.9 ± 9.1) in physician-diagnosed asthmatics were higher than the controls and general community (both P < 0.01). Scores of ACT in non-anxiety group (18.6 ± 4.4) were higher than those in anxiety group, higher in non-depression group (18.5 ± 4.6) than depression group (both P < 0.01). Scores of SAS (control group: 33.6 ± 4.3, non-control group: 43.7 ± 7.8 and partial control group: 37.6 ± 7.1) and SDS (control group: 35.1 ± 6.7, non-control group: 47.2 ± 9.7 and partial control group: 43.3 ± 6.6) in physician-diagnosed asthmatics varied among different control levels (both P < 0.01). The anxiety, depression scores and ACT scores were negatively correlated in asthmatics (r = 0.52 and 0.23, both P < 0.01). With the rising scores of SAS and SDS, ACT score decreases (b = -0.29 and -0.12, both P < 0.01). Anxiety and depression moods are more common in asthmatics than healthy controls. The worse asthma control, the more severity of anxiety and depression, and vice versa.