Quality of life and depression in COPD patients in the Colombian Caribbean

OBJECTIVE To establish the association between quality of life and depression among COPD patients of the Colombian Caribbean. METHOD A cross-sectional study was carried out with the participation of adult COPD patients. COPD-related quality of life was quantified with the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and depression using the Zung 10-item Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS-10). The relationship between COPD-related quality of life and depression with odds ratios (OR), crude and adjusted, was determined. RESULTS 408 patients participated in the study. They were aged between 40 and 102 years (mean = 72.9, SD = 10.2) and 58.8% men. Two hundred eighty-four patients (69.6%) reported worse health status (CAT ≥10), and 114 patients (27.9%) scored for depression (SDS-10). Patients with worse health status presented more depression (OR = 5.85, 95% CI 3.01-11.36) and after adjusting for gender (OR = 5.70, 95% CI 2.92-11.13). CONCLUSIONS In patients with COPD and CAT ≥10, there is a five times greater risk of depression than patients with CAT <10. However, the relationship may be bidirectional. It is essential to specify the direction of causality in future investigations.