[Prolonged corticosteroid-therapy and anxiety-depressive disorders, longitudinal study over 12 months]

To date, there is little data in the literature describing the anxiety and depressive disorders iatrogenic to corticosteroids. These disorders are common, underestimated, with potentially serious consequences that may jeopardize the patient's prognosis; their management is not consensual.

The objective of our work is to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders induced by corticosteroids, assessing their accountability to the corticosteroids and studying their risk factors.

We conducted a prospective longitudinal study over 12months evaluating the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders in patients followed for chronic skin diseases treated with prolonged corticosteroid-therapy. Our patients were assessed using standardized instruments: the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).

Of 54 patients included, our study showed a high prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders estimated at 27%. These disorders were divided into depressive disorder in 16% of cases, and anxiety disorder in 11% of cases. The early onset of these disorders was found during the first weeks of treatment. According to the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), depression was moderate in 67% of cases; severe with suicide attempts in 22% of cases, and mild in 11% of cases. According to the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS), anxiety was mild in 33% of cases and moderate in 67% of cases. The disorders observed were mainly distributed into: 33% deep pemphigus, 27% lupus, 13% bullous pemphigoid and 13% dermatomyositis. In this study the statistically significant risk factors are dose of corticosteroids and personal psychiatric history of the patient; in addition, there is a high prevalence of disorders in patients whose age exceeds 40 years, female gender, and patients treated for deep pemphigus. The evolution after pharmacological treatment and supportive psychotherapy was favorable in most patients.

The psychiatric examination prior to prescription of long-term corticosteroid-therapy use should be standard practice to identify patients at risk, discuss the treatment modalities, and provide comprehensive care.