Relationship between anxiety, depression, symptom level, and quality of life in individuals with COPD

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is a major cause of workforce loss and may affect 7-12% of the adult population. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between anxiety, depression, symptom level, and quality of life in patients with COPD who were in a stable period. The present study included 125 patients with COPD (66.1±9.011 years) in a stable period. Data were obtained using the St. George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD), and COPD Assessment Test (CAT). There was a significant positive correlation between HAD-anxiety, HAD-depression, HAD-total, CAT, SGRQ-symptom level, and SGRQ-total scores in each pairwise relationship (p<0.05). The present study showed a positive relationship between anxiety, depression, symptom level, and quality of life in patients with COPD who were in a stable period. COPD patients with lower quality of life had higher levels of anxiety, depression, and symptoms. Furthermore, COPD patients with higher symptom levels had higher levels of anxiety and depression. Therefore, multidisciplinary approaches such as breathing exercises and relaxation techniques are remarkable to reduce symptoms and increase the quality of life in patients with COPD.