Factors affecting health status in COPD patients with co-morbid anxiety or depression

Health status questionnaires provide standardized measures of patients' perceptions of the impact of disease on their daily life and well-being. Factors associated with health status were examined in a sample of 58 outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and co-morbid anxiety and/or depression. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with the following measures: The St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ); the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI); the Beck Depression Inventory, 2nd edition (BDI); the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); and spirometry. Disease severity as measured with spirometrywas not related to health status. Perceptions of poor health as implied by the health status scores were positively associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression, sleep disturbances, and level of daily functioning. There were statistically significant differences between men and women on COPD severity, age, and the BAI scores. The findings emphasize the importance of screening the patients at all stages of disease severity for anxiety, depression, and sleeping problems, in order to provide adequate care for these problems.