Patients With COPD Have Increased Risk for Depression
News Briefs from the February Issue of CHEST
A new study provides further evidence that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at an increased risk for developing depression. Researchers from Switzerland compared the prevalence of depression among 35,722 patients with COPD with 35,722 patients who were COPD–free. Results showed that the prevalence of diagnosed depression prior to the first COPD diagnosis was higher in the COPD population (23.1 percent) than among patients without COPD (16.8 percent). In addition, the incidence rate of a new–onset diagnosis of depression after the first COPD diagnosis was 16.2/1,000 person–years in the COPD group, compared with 9.4/1,000 person–years in the group without COPD. Patients with severe COPD had the highest risk of developing depression. This study is published in the February issue of CHEST, the peer–reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.
