Anxiety, Depression and Quality of Life in Elderly People With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

The morbidity and mortality associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease implies a significant reduction in the quality and life expectancy of its sufferers, a fact heightened by the presence of comorbidities in these patients. Anxiety and depression are comorbidities with increased frequency in this population. OBJECTIVES: To establish relationships between anxiety, depression and quality of life in elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in an outpatient population in Curitiba. METHODS: Cross-sectional study, with 54 volunteers aged 60 or over, of both genders and any ethnicity, in the city of Curitiba, Brazil, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Screening for anxiety and depression was carried out using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale questionnaire, while quality of life was assessed using the WHOQOL-OLD questionnaire. Data on clinical variables were obtained through consented access to the volunteers' medical records. Statistical analysis adopted values of p < 0.05 for significance. RESULTS: Progressively higher anxiety (p < 0.001) and depression (p = 0.001) scores are related to lower quality of life indicators. The concomitant use of 8 or more medications was related to positive values for depression screening (p = 0.019). Physical inactivity was a predisposing factor for higher anxiety scores (p = 0.008) and depression (p = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that, among elderly people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, physical inactivity, use of more than eight medications and high anxiety and depression scores were correlated with lower quality of life indicators.