Impact of exacerbation of COPD on anxiety and depression symptoms and dyspnea in the activities of daily living

Background: The worsening of the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) causes patients to insert into a cycle of inactivity, exercise intolerance and progressive reduction in ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL). Patients with COPD also experience exacerbations, which contributes to a worsening and progression of symptoms. Stable and post-exacerbated patients present psychosocial symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, which intensifies the inactivity cycle. Aim: To compare anxiety and depression symptoms and dyspnea in ADL and to verify the association between them in stable and post-exacerbated patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, which evaluated 13 patients in Post-Exacerbation Group (PEG) (68.9±9.5yrs, FEV 1 = 50.5±18.7% pred) and 27 patients in Stable Group (SG) (66.5±7.4yrs, FEV 1 = 48.5±15.4% pred). Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), London Chest Activity Daily Living (LCADL) and six-minute walk test (6MWT) were applied. Results: PEG patients had more anxiety symptoms (p Conclusion: Post exacerbated patients are more anxious and presented more dyspnea in ADL compared with stable patients. Furthermore, dyspnea in ADL is associated with anxiety only in post-exacerbated patients and depression is associated with dyspnea in ADL in both groups.