Specific psychiatric morbidity among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a Nigerian general hospital

The goal of this study was to explore specific psychiatric morbidity among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients in Nigeria.

The mental status of 30 COPD patients was compared with those of 30 uncomplicated hypertensive patients and 30 apparently healthy controls using the 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30) and Present State Examination (PSE). The sociodemographic characteristics of the three groups were also compared.

The COPD population was significantly least educated and predominantly subsistent farmers. Thirty percent of the COPD population, 13.3% of the hypertensive patients and 3.3% of apparently healthy controls had psychiatric morbidity (P<.05). The COPD population, with psychiatric diagnoses consisted of 16.7% depressive episode, 10% generalized anxiety disorder and 3.3% delirium. This pattern is similar to data from industrialized countries. No sociodemographic factors were significantly associated with psychiatric morbidity.

Improving the psychiatric knowledge of the primary physician will result in better management of the COPD patient.