Association between depression and mortality in persons with asthma: a population-based cohort study

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Psychiatry
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The relationship between depression and mortality in asthma patients remains unclear.
• This study investigates the impact of depression on mortality among US adults with asthma.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the association between depression and all-cause mortality in adult asthma patients.
• To identify if depression is an independent risk factor for mortality in this population.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2005-2014.
• Employed Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression assessment.
• Applied survey-weight adjusted Cox proportional hazard models to analyze mortality risk.

Main Results:

• Included 1865 asthma patients; 14.16% had depressive symptoms.
• Unadjusted and adjusted analyses showed depression associated with increased mortality risk (HR 2.71).
• This association was not significant after controlling for comorbidities, but depression was an independent risk factor in females (HR 3.78).

Conclusions:

• Depressive disorder is prevalent in asthma patients and associated with increased mortality.
• Depression is an independent risk factor for mortality specifically in female asthma patients.
• Findings suggest the importance of addressing depression in asthma management, particularly for women.