Anxiety and depression in ILD and IPF patients. Is there a difference

Introduction: Patients with ILD and IPF are often reported to suffer from depression (D) and/or anxiety (A). The aim of the study was to examine the prevalence of D and A in a northern greek cohort of outpatients. Methods: Consecutive patients attending the clinic were examined with PFT9s, six minute walk test (6mwt) and completed the mMRC, the University of California San Diego Shortness of Breath Questionnaire (UCSDSoBQ) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results: A hundred and thirty one (131) patients with ILD were examined (IPF:62, Sarcoidosis:19, CTD-ILD:17, Non-IPF ILD:32). Patient characteristics:male:59%, age:73.8±5.2, former/current smokers:70%, FVC:83.8±15.8%, Dlco:57.3±20%, 6mwt:450±113, ΔSpO2:3.7±4.3 Median[IQR] for anxiety and depression scores were 3[1-6] and 2[0-5.5] respectively. Possible (HADS 8-10) or clinically significant (HADS≥11) anxiety was present in 20,6% and depression in 21.4% of the cohort. There was no difference in the prevalence of D and A between the ILD and IPF group. Depression and anxiety were significantly correlated with dyspnea (mMRC Sprearman9s rho: 0.37 and 0.32, UCSDSoBQ:0.52 and 0.47) and fitness(6mwt:-0.32 and -0.25) (p Conclusions: The presence of ILD per se rather than IPF seems to be the driving factor for the occurence of depression or anxiety. Dyspnea levels and fitness are strongly correlated with both disorders. In the present cohort the frequency of both afflictions was lower than reference publications. This could be due to the tool used or the population examined or both. The research was sponsored by the Hellenic Chest Diseases Society.