Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test can predict depression: a prospective multi-center study

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Psychiatry
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Depression is a common comorbidity in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients.
• The Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) assessment test (CAT) measures symptom burden.
• The relationship between CAT scores and depression severity in COPD requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between the COPD assessment test (CAT) and depression in COPD patients.
• To evaluate the predictive performance of the CAT for depression in this population.
• To identify specific CAT items most related to depression.

Main Methods:

• Korean versions of the CAT and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were administered.
• 803 COPD patients from 32 hospitals were enrolled.
• Correlation, regression, and ROC curve analyses were performed.

Main Results:

• The prevalence of depression among COPD patients was 23.8%.
• CAT scores showed a significant positive correlation with PHQ-9 scores (r=0.631, P<0.001).
• CAT demonstrated good predictive performance for depression (AUC=0.849), with scores ≥21 showing 80.6% accuracy. Energy score was the most discriminative item.

Conclusions:

• CAT scores are significantly associated with depression in COPD patients.
• The CAT is a valuable tool for screening and predicting depression in COPD.
• Current symptoms, as measured by CAT, appear more influential on depression prevalence than airway limitation.