Severity of depression is positively correlated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and respiratory symptoms, according to study findings published in Respiratory Medicine.
Investigators sought to examine the relationship between respiratory symptoms (exertional dyspnea, wheeze, cough) and severity of depression. The relationship between depression with COPD and asthma were secondary endpoints.
The investigators conducted a national cross-sectional study of individuals in the US that included 10,142 adult participants (mean [SD] age, 59.7 [12.3] years; 53% women; 78% non-Hispanic White individuals, 10% non-Hispanic Black individuals; 5% Mexican American individuals) reflecting the entire US population from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2005 to 2012. Participants less than 40 years of age were excluded.
Half the population currently or formerly smoked, half had hypertension, and more than one-third had body mass index of at least 30. Additionally, 12% had cough, 15% wheeze, 32% exertional dyspnea, and 8% had COPD and 13% asthma.
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The risk of respiratory symptoms increased with increasing depression scores and depression severity, not only that, major depression also increased the risk of asthma and COPD.
Compared with the population without depression, the investigators found the population with severe depression had 3.32 times higher risk of developing cough (odds ratio [OR], 3.324; 95% CI, 1.567-7.050) and 2.84 times higher risk of developing wheeze (OR, 2.842; 95% CI, 1.521-5.311). Additionally, the investigators noted 2.9 times higher risk of developing exertional dyspnea (OR, 2.901; 95% CI, 1.518-5.544).
Compared with the population without depression, the investigators noted the population with major depression had 2.4 times higher risk for developing asthma (OR, 2.410; 95% CI, 1.371-4.236), and the population with moderate depression had 2.6 times higher risk for developing COPD (OR, 2.566; 95% CI, 1.236-4.921).
In subgroup analysis, the level of risk for men with depression was 3.21 times higher for cough, 2.66 times higher for wheeze, and 2.78 times higher for exertional dyspnea compared with the population without depression. The risk for cough was 2.76 times higher for Mexican Americans with depression compared with most other racial groups, and the risk for asthma was 1.77 times higher among those who currently smoked with depression.
Study limitations include the cross-sectional design, which does not prove causality.
“The risk of respiratory symptoms increased with increasing depression scores and depression severity, not only that, major depression also increased the risk of asthma and COPD, and this correlation remained significant even after adjusting for variables,” the study authors concluded. They further noted that among patients with depression, the risk for respiratory symptoms is greater in men vs women, and that depression is an independent risk factor for the prevalence of COPD and asthma.
