Anxiety and depression in patients with allergic and non-allergic cutaneous disorders

Numerous studies have shown that anxiety and depression are more prevalent among patients suffering from chronic skin disorders.

The aims of this study were to assess the prevalences of depression and anxiety in patients suffering from chronic skin disorders, focusing particularly on allergic skin conditions. Additionally, we investigated resilience to disease progression using the Sense of Coherence Scale.

A total of 112 consecutive patients without known psychiatric disease were interviewed and asked to complete questionnaires in order to assess psychiatric symptomatology. The following scales were completed: the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview; the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS); the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS); and the self-administered questionnaire for the Sense of Coherence Scale (SoCS).

Rates of anxiety and depression in patients with allergic and non-allergic conditions were considerably higher than those in the general population. This difference was notable in patients with allergic skin diseases, reaching 58.3 and 48.3%, compared with 15.4 and 23.1% for participants with non-allergic conditions, as measured by the HAS and HDRS, respectively (P < 0.05). Statistically significant negative correlations between scores on the SoCS and scores on the HAS (r = -0.45, P < 0.01) and HDRS (r = -0.37, P < 0.01) were observed.

Our findings support the hypothesis that rates of anxiety and depression are higher among patients suffering from allergic chronic skin disorders. High SoCS scores may protect against the development of psychiatric illness in patients suffering from allergic skin disease.