Depression in asthmatic patients associated with increased airway obstruction: Study

A new study published in Respiratory Medicine suggests that people with asthma, untreated depression are linked to airway blockage, although antidepressants change this correlation.

Few research have examined the impact of antidepressants on the association between depression and asthma, and it is unclear if depression is linked to decreased lung function in people with asthma. The purpose of this study, which was developed by Edna Eurdes Theodoro and colleagues, was to determine whether subjects with concurrent asthma and depression who were not taking antidepressants had worse asthma outcomes than asthmatic subjects without depression and whether antidepressants affected this association.

This cross-sectional research comprised asthmatic nonsmokers who were at least 18 years old. Participants completed questionnaires, took a spirometry test, and went to a chest doctor consultation as part of the study. Additionally, binary logistic regression analyses that were crude and adjusted were run.

The key findings of this study were:

1.A total of 309 asthmatic individuals were enrolled, of whom 48 had depression and were taking antidepressants, 52 did not and 209 did not (control group).

2.In comparison to the control group, asthmatic participants with depression who had not previously used antidepressants were more likely to experience uncontrolled asthma symptoms (adjusted OR 3.10, 95CI (1.56-6.15)) and airway obstruction (adjusted OR 2.41, 95CI (1.24-4.69)).

3.Antidepressant users reported greater chances of uncontrolled asthma symptoms than the control group (adjusted OR 3.02, 95CI (1,50-6.07)), but equal risks of airway obstruction (adjusted OR 1.24, 95CI (0.87-1.77)).

In conclusion, the outcome of this study clearly states the association of modifiable behaviors of depression and its impact on airway blockage. Asthma patients should routinely be screened for depression, and doctors should provide antidepressants if depression symptoms call for pharmacological treatment.

Reference:

Theodoro, E. E., Rocha, D. G. da, Bertolino, J. R., Guinossi, R. M., Burch, M. O., Mingotti, C. F. B., Assunção, R. P., & Ponte, E. V. (2022). Evaluating the effect of antidepressants on the relationship between depression and asthma. In Respiratory Medicine (p. 107099). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmed.2022.107099