Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026
Association Between Sleep Quality and Cognitive Symptoms in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder
Published on: April 26, 2024
Depressive symptoms as predictors of mortality in patients with COPD
Jacob N de Voogd1, Johan B Wempe1, Gerard H Koëter2
1Center for Rehabilitation, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Insights
Depressive symptoms significantly increase mortality risk in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This finding highlights the importance of addressing mental health in COPD patient care for improved survival outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Psychiatry
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Prognostic studies in COPD predominantly focus on physiological factors.
- Depressive symptoms are understudied as a mortality predictor in COPD compared to other chronic conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the independent association between depressive symptoms and all-cause mortality in stable COPD patients.
Main Methods:
- 121 stable COPD patients' baseline data (demographics, BMI, FEV1, Wpeak) were collected.
- Beck Depression Inventory assessed depressive symptoms; vital status was tracked for 8.5 years.
- Cox proportional hazard model analyzed associations with mortality.
Main Results:
- Depressive symptoms were independently associated with increased mortality (OR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.12-3.33).
- Other significant factors included male sex, older age, and lower peak workload (Wpeak).
Conclusions:
- Depressive symptoms are a significant independent predictor of all-cause mortality in stable COPD patients.
- This study underscores the prognostic importance of mental health in COPD.
Objective:
Prognostic studies of mortality in patients with COPD have mostly focused on physiologic variables, with little attention to depressive symptoms. This stands in sharp contrast to the attention that depressive symptoms have been given in the outcomes of patients with other chronic health conditions. The present study investigated the independent association of depressive symptoms in stable patients with COPD with all-cause mortality.
Methods:
The baseline characteristics of 121 COPD patients (78 men and 43 women; mean [+/- SD] age, 61.5 +/- 9.1 years; and mean FEV(1), 36.9 +/- 15.5% predicted) were collected on hospital admission to a pulmonary rehabilitation center. The data included demographic variables, body mass index (BMI), post-bronchodilator therapy FEV(1), and Wpeak (peak workload [Wpeak]). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Beck depression inventory. The vital status was ascertained using municipal registrations. In 8.5 years of follow-up, 76 deaths occurred (mortality rate, 63%). Survival time ranged from 88 days to 8.5 years (median survival time, 5.3 years). The Cox proportional hazard model was used to quantify the association of the baseline characteristics (ie, age, sex, marital status, smoking behavior, FEV(1), BMI, Wpeak, and depressive symptoms) with mortality.
Results:
Depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR], 1.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12 to 3.33) were associated with mortality in patients with COPD, independent of other factors including male sex (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.03 to 2.92), older age (OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.08), and lower Wpeak (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97 to 0.99).
Conclusions:
This study provides evidence that depressive symptoms assessed in stable patients with COPD are associated with their subsequent all-cause mortality.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-III: Symptoms and Complications.
Symptoms of COPD can be classified as primary or systemic. Primary symptoms relate to reduced airflow, while systemic or extrapulmonary symptoms relate to COPD's broader impact on the body.
Primary Symptoms of COPD:
01:27Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-IV: Assessement and Diagnostic Studies
Medical History
01:20COPD: Pathogenesis and Clinical Features
The primary cause for the onset of COPD is cigarette smoking and exposure to air pollution. These hazardous factors initiate a chain reaction within the lungs, resulting in chronic inflammation, damage to the airways, and a...
01:26COPD: Management Using Bronchodilators and Corticosteroids
01:27Depressive Disorders: MDD and Dysthymia
01:24Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Smoking is a primary risk factor for COPD, with over 80% of patients having a history of it. Patients typically experience progressive dyspnea or labored breathing, frequent coughing, and recurrent pulmonary infections. Many eventually succumb to respiratory failure, characterized by...