Adult asthma: the depressive symptoms associated with a poorer prognosis

Adults with asthma are frequently confronted with depressive symptoms, which are generally associated with adverse changes in their health, if one believes a study published in the "Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology."

Psychological disorders, which include depression, frequently occur in adults with asthma, "recalls Dr. Mark Eisner of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues. The impact of depression on the evolution the health of people with asthma is still poorly known, and knowing that depression can be treated, it can be assumed that to alleviate the problems that characterize would improve the management of asthma.

U.S. researchers have decided to observe the impact of depressive symptoms on health status and health care utilization of patients with asthma in a prospective cohort study which involved 743 patients.

Participants were recruited after hospitalization for asthma and were then followed for more than two years. Were considered depressive those scoring over 16 on the scale Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. The impact of these disorders on the health status of patients was analyzed through different validated questionnaires to assess the severity of asthma, the quality of life of asthmatic patients or their general health .

This survey authors note that 18% of adult asthmatics recently hospitalized for asthma symptoms of depression. Statistical analysis of the data collected, adjusted to take into account the possible influence of other factors (age, sex, ethnicity, education, smoking), revealed the existence of an association between the presence of depressive symptoms and severity scores of the most important disease.

Depressive disorders have also appeared associated with lower quality of life specifically related to asthma, more frequent visits to emergency services and many more additional hospitalizations.

The health status of adults with asthma seems to grow more unfavorable to their health when there are other symptoms of depression, the authors note. Efforts also need to be made to ensure that health professionals track down and support more often asthmatics with depressive disorders, suggesting they believe that this could reduce the frequency of severe exacerbations in the origin of recourse to emergencies.