Symptoms of depression and anxiety in Serbian patients with systemic sclerosis: impact of disease severity and socioeconomic factors

Abstract

This study aimed to assess symptoms of depression and anxiety in Serbian patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and to estimate the impact of disease severity and socioeconomic factors on development of depression and anxiety in SSc. Thirty-five patients with SSc and 30 age- and gender-matched healthy individuals participated. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were evaluated using the Beck’s depression inventory and Zung’s anxiety self-assessment scale. We estimated the impact of gender, age, economic status, marital status, disease duration, disease subset (limited or diffuse), and some clinical features on development of depressive symptoms and anxiety in patients with SSc. Symptoms of depression were found in 68.6% of patients (compared with 23.3% in the control group), were more frequent in patients with longer disease duration and in female and older patients, and were more common in unemployed and retired patients than in employed individuals. No differences in anxiety and depressive symptoms was noticed between patients with limited and diffuse SSc or those with or without restrictive lung disease, pulmonary hypertension, finger-tip ulcers, and heart involvement. Symptoms of depression were associated with severe pain. Symptoms of anxiety were found in 80% of patients compared with 13.3% of healthy individuals and were equally as frequent in patients of different gender, age, socioeconomic status, and disease duration and severity. Symptoms of depression and anxiety are common in Serbian patients with SSc. Depressive symptoms depended mostly on socioeconomic factors, disease duration, and pain intensity, whereas disease severity had no significant impact on development of depressive symptoms and anxiety.