Anxiety, Depression, and Asthma Control: Changes After Standardized Treatment

Background: It has been documented that anxiety and depression are prevalent in patients with asthma and are associated with greater frequency of exacerbations, increased use of health care resources, and poor asthma control.

Objective: To examine the association of asthma diagnosis with symptoms of depression/anxiety and asthma control not only at baseline but also over a 6-month period of specialist supervision.

Methods: We enrolled 3182 patients with moderate to severe asthma. All were evaluated with spirometry, the Asthma Control Test, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale at baseline and at 6 months. Treatments were decided by specialists according to published guidelines.

Results: At baseline, 24.2% and 12% of the patients were diagnosed with anxiety and depression, respectively, according to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. After 6 months, anxiety and depression improved, affecting 15.3% and 8.1% of patients, respectively (P < .001); mean FEV₁ and asthma control also improved (FEV₁ from 81.6% ± 20.9% to 86% ± 20.8%; Asthma Control Test score from 15.8 ± 4.7 to 19.4 ± 4.4; both P < .001). Patients with anxiety and depression used significantly more health care resources and had more exacerbations. A multivariate analysis showed that patients with anxiety, depression, and lower FEV₁ (odds ratio, 0.20, 0.34, 0.62, respectively; P < .001) were independently associated with poor asthma control. A multiple linear regression analysis showed that anxiety had a nearly 4-fold greater influence over asthma control than depression (0.326/0.85 = 4.075).

Conclusion: Under standardized asthma care and after a specific visit with the specialist, patients present significant improvement in these psychological disorders and exhibit better asthma control and functional parameters.