Prevalence of Depression in Sarcoidosis: a comparison with asthmatic and healthy controls

Introduction: The evaluation and management of psychological well-being has become an increasingly aspect of the approach to chronic respiratory diseases. Aims: Primary aim was to evaluate prevalence and risk of depression in sarcoidosis in comparison with asthmatic patients and healthy controls. Methods: Patients and healthy subjects were examined using the Prime Care Evaluation of Mental Health Disorders (PRIME-MD) questionnaire for the diagnosis of depression, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Short Form of Health Survey 36 (SF-36) and the Adult Temperament Questionnaire (ATQ). Results: 51 sarcoidosis patients, 48 asthmatic patients and 45 healthy subjects completed all questionnaires. Sociodemographic, clinical characteristics and differences between the three cohorts are shown in Table 1. Sarcoidosis patients were significantly more depressed (p=0.047). In a logistic regression model, even controlling for confounding variables (sex, age, temperament), the presence of a chronic respiratory disease was associated with a three-fold increased risk of developing depression (OR=3.494; 95% CI=1.282-9.518; p=0.014). This risk was almost twice higher (OR=1.85) for those with sarcoidosis compared with those with asthma (Table 2). Conclusion: Sarcoidosis is associated with a greater risk of depression compared to asthma, even when controlling for confounding variables. Multidisciplinary approch might be suggested.