Clinical impact of depression and anxiety in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

BACKGROUND: Although depression and anxiety represent significant yet treatable comorbidities in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), their impact on the clinical course and prognosis of IPF remain unclear. PURPOSE: We investigated the prevalence and clinical significance of depression and anxiety in patients with IPF. METHODS: The present study included a prospective cohort comprising 112 Korean patients with IPF who had completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire. RESULTS: Symptoms of depression and anxiety were present in 25.9% and 21.4% of patients with IPF, respectively (HADS scores ≥8). No significant differences in demographic data, age, sex, smoking status, Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale (MMRC) scores, pulmonary function tests, or Gender-Age-Physiology Index for IPF were observed between patients with depression or anxiety and those without. However, in patients with anxiety, St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) scores were significantly higher than those of patients without anxiety (40.5 versus 23.5; p = 0.003). The survival rate and total number of hospital admissions did not significantly differ between patients with depression/anxiety and those without. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that depression and anxiety are relatively common in patients with IPF. Although no significant differences were noted with regard to survival rate and hospitalization, the present study suggests that depression and anxiety significantly influence quality of life in patients with IPF.