[Assessment of respiratory parameters in older adults with generalized anxiety disorders]

Anxiety disorders can be an independent risk factor of many somatic conditions and complication of various organic states leading to the unfavourable course of the primary disease and poor prognosis. The main goal of the study was to evaluate anxiety reactions with regard to the disturbances of homeostatic processes within respiratory system, from which various somatic symptoms were reported.

The study group I comprised 50 subjects (aged M±SD 62.5±2.29 years) presenting with generalized anxiety disorders, and 60 normal subjects (aged M±SD 61.94±2.32 years), volunteers as a reference group II. In all the study subjects spirometry and pulse oxymetry were performed. A level of declared dyspnoea was assessed using the 0-10 Borg scale. Moreover, all persons were subjected to physical examination after taking medical history.

In the group I, hyperventilation was reported in the chronic form, and a declared dyspnoea level was relatively low, despite the proper oxygen saturation (SaO₂) of arterial blood. The objective analysis of the Tiffeneau index showed obturative ventilation disturbances, and evaluation of forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV₁) correspondet to obturation of a mild type (FEV₁ = 80.88% of normal value) and a significant decrease in inspiration vs. expiration parameters (e.g., forced inspiratory vital capacity to forced expiratory vital capacity) that indicated the inspiration type of ventilation impairment. In turn, the analysis of the maximal expiratory flow values showed that obturation in all persons from the group I was located mainly in the upper respiratory tract. The statistically significant correlations between the declared dyspnoea level and spirometry parameters in the group I were also noted. In contrast, subjects from group II did not declare dyspnea.

It was shown that anxiety disorders affect not only a breathing pattern but also can induce the objective changes of spirometric parameters like in the organic diseases. As the result of erroneous interpretation of afferent stimuli in the respiratory centre, the normal SaO₂ can be a stimulus triggering dyspnoea. The characteristics accompanying a feeling of dyspnoea suggested the psychogenic background of the symptoms. Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2025;76(3):167-177.