Title: Anxiety and depression are highly prevalent in pulmonary hypertension and might improve with target therapy
Abstract:<b>Background:</b> Pulmonary hypertension (PH) leads to reduced health related quality of life (HRQoL) and possibly anxiety and depression, both potentially underdiagnosed and undertreated in PH. We i...<b>Background:</b> Pulmonary hypertension (PH) leads to reduced health related quality of life (HRQoL) and possibly anxiety and depression, both potentially underdiagnosed and undertreated in PH. We investigated the prevalence and course of anxiety and depression and their association with HRQoL, disease markers and survival. <b>Methods:</b> 45 newly diagnosed and 86 pretreated patients with arterial and chronic thromboembolic PH (PAH and CTEPH, n=131, 84 females, 61 idiopathic) had repeated assessments of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), HRQoL, 6 minute walking distance (6MWD) and NYHA functional class during a mean course of 16±12 months. Depression/anxiety was diagnosed if HADS subscale was >5 or total >9. <b>Results:</b> 14.5% of PH-patients had previously been diagnosed with and treated for depression and had higher HADS. According to HADS, 33% of PH-patients suffered from depression with a mean score of 9±3 and 34% had anxiety (9±2.5). Of these patients, 38% were in treatment for their depression or anxiety. In incident patients, both scores improved 6±4 months after the introduction of PH-targeted treatment (p=0.009 and 0.007 respectively). HADS correlated with all domains of HRQoL, NYHA class and 6MWD but not with baseline hemodynamic parameters, age and gender. Survival was worse in patients with anxiety (p=0.014). <b>Conclusions:</b> Psychological morbidity remains underdiagnosed in PH. One third of patients suffer from depression and/or anxiety for which only 38% are being treated. PH-treatment improves mental symptoms in some PH-patients.Read More
Publication Year: 2015
Publication Date: 2015-09-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 3
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