Individuals suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) frequently experience anxiety and sadness, which exacerbates illness treatment and prognosis. Physical and psychological symptoms, as well as environmental and illness-related variables, exhibit complex reciprocal relationships, resulting in various presentations. Examining the patterns of relationship between distinct physical and psychological symptoms in COPD patients may aid in focusing on the accuracy of patient-centered therapy.
The COPDGene research includes data from 1,587 patients with COPD. Researchers estimated a Bayesian Gaussian Graphical Model to highlight the unique associations between COPD symptoms (assessed with the COPD Assessment Test), depression and anxiety (assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and health status while controlling for sociodemographic factors, lung function tests, and health status.
Tension/worry (chronic anxiety), Fear/panic (acute anxiety), Restlessness, Anhedonia, Sadness, and Slowing were reduced from 14 HADS items using Unique Variable Analysis. In network studies, chest tightness was linked to acute anxiety, whereas cough and weakness were linked to core depressed symptoms (sadness and lack of pleasure). Acute anxiety and depression symptoms were associated with chronic anxiety. Findings were verified after controlling for variables such as lung function, gender, ethnicity, and lifestyle factors. A simulation based on the approach produced divergent predictions for anxiety and sadness in two patients with equal COPD severity but varied symptom profiles.
Network analysis revealed particular links between COPD symptoms, sadness, and anxiety. Accounting for symptom-level interactions may aid in the promotion of tailored treatment methods.
Reference: resmedjournal.com/article/S0954-6111(22)00130-5/fulltext
