MedWire News: Patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease face an increased risk of suffering from depression and anxiety, study results show.

The findings indicate that patients with long-term respiratory conditions should be monitored for the development of depression and anxiety, as prompt treatment may improve their quality of life, say the researchers.

Dr Georgios Moussas, from the University of Athens in Greece, and team studied 132 patients, aged an average of 55 years, with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or tuberculosis.

All of the participants completed questionnaires and underwent tests for the presence of depression and anxiety.

Analysis revealed that nearly 50% of the patients had moderate or severe depression.

This is particularly worrying as just 10% of the general population suffer from depression that requires medical treatment, says the team.

Furthermore, results of the questionnaires revealed that 27% of the participants suffered from anxiety.

The researchers also found that patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were more likely to suffer from severe depression than those with tuberculosis. The patients' risks of anxiety and depression increased with the duration of their illness.

Writing in the Annals of General Psychiatry, Dr Moussas and team conclude: "Patients suffering from bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have a significantly higher rate of anxiety and depression compared to the general population."

They add that "detection and management of these mental disorders... may improve adaptation and quality of life of these patients".