Utilização de psicotrópicos na doença respiratória

Abstract

Background: Psychiatric is common in patients with respiratory disease, with depressive and anxiety disorders being the most frequent in this patient population. However, these tend to be under-diagnosed, possibly due to the overlap between the somatic manifestations of psychiatric illness and physical symptoms of severe respiratory distress. The occurrence of psychiatric disorders in patients with respiratory disease has a negative impact on several health indicators (illness control, poor adherence to treatment, functional impairment, increased use of health care services, delays in assessment or treatment and increased health related costs). The treatment of psychiatric disorders associated with respiratory disease may contribute to better quality of life and may help relieve some respiratory symptomatology.Aims: In this article we review the major classes of psychotropic drugs that may be useful for the treatment of psychiatric symptoms in patients with concomitant respirato-ry disease as well as the most common side effects in this patient population.Methods: The articles selected for this review were identified through a systematic search of the literature in English, using the Medline database, from January 1970 to May 2013, combining the keywords: psychotropics, an-tidepressants, mood stabilizers, anxiolytics, hypnotics, antidementia agents, respiratory illness/disease and lung disease (twenty-seven reviews, six original researches, six clinical trials, four randomized controlled trials, one short-report, one comparative study, and one editorial). Four textbooks on this subject, published between January 1970 and May 2013 were also consulted.Results and Conclusions: Psychiatric co-morbidity in patients with respiratory disease is common and can have major impact on morbidity and mortality. It is, therefore, essential to know how to adequately treat psychiatric symptoms in these patients.