Anxiety and depression in adult outpatients with bronchiectasis: Associations with disease severity and health‐related quality of life

A systematic literature review of the clinical and socioeconomic burden of bronchiectasis

BACKGROUND

The overall burden of bronchiectasis on patients and healthcare systems has not been comprehensively described. Here, we present the findings of a systematic literature review that assessed the clinical and socioeconomic burden of bronchiectasis with subanalyses by aetiology (PROSPERO registration: CRD42023404162).

METHODS

Embase, MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library were searched for publications relating to bronchiectasis disease burden (December 2017-December 2022). Journal articles and congress abstracts reporting on observational studies, randomised controlled trials and registry studies were included. Editorials, narrative reviews and systematic literature reviews were included to identify primary studies. PRISMA guidelines were followed.

RESULTS

1585 unique publications were identified, of which 587 full texts were screened and 149 were included. A further 189 citations were included from reference lists of editorials and reviews, resulting in 338 total publications. Commonly reported symptoms and complications included dyspnoea, cough, wheezing, sputum production, haemoptysis and exacerbations. Disease severity across several indices and increased mortality compared with the general population was reported. Bronchiectasis impacted quality of life across several patient-reported outcomes, with patients experiencing fatigue, anxiety and depression. Healthcare resource utilisation was considerable and substantial medical costs related to hospitalisations, treatments and emergency department and outpatient visits were accrued. Indirect costs included sick pay and lost income.

CONCLUSIONS

Bronchiectasis causes significant clinical and socioeconomic burden. Disease-modifying therapies that reduce symptoms, improve quality of life and reduce both healthcare resource utilisation and overall costs are needed. Further systematic analyses of specific aetiologies and paediatric disease may provide more insight into unmet therapeutic needs.

Quality-of-Life Bronchiectasis Respiratory Symptom Scale Predicts the Risk of Exacerbations in Adults with Bronchiectasis: A Prospective Observational Study

Rationale: The relationship between symptoms, measured using a validated disease-specific questionnaire, and longitudinal exacerbation risk has not been demonstrated in bronchiectasis. Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate whether baseline symptoms, assessed using the Quality-of-Life Bronchiectasis Respiratory Symptom Scale (QoL-B-RSS) and its individual component scores, could predict future exacerbation risk in patients with bronchiectasis. Methods: The study included 436 adults with bronchiectasis from three tertiary hospitals. Symptoms were measured using the QoL-B-RSS, with scores ranging from 0 to 100, where lower scores indicated more severe symptoms. We examined whether symptoms as continuous measures were associated with the risk of exacerbation over 12 months. The analysis was also repeated for individual components of the QoL-B-RSS score. Results: The baseline QoL-B-RSS score was associated with an increased risk of exacerbations (rate ratio, 1.25 for each 10-point decrease; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15-1.35; P < 0.001), hospitalizations (rate ratio, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.05-1.43; P = 0.02), and reduced time to the first exacerbation (hazard ratio, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.03-1.21; P = 0.01) over 12 months, even after adjusting for relevant confounders, including exacerbation history. The QoL-B-RSS score was comparable to exacerbation history in its association with future frequent exacerbations (defined as three or more exacerbations per year) and hospitalization (area under the curve, 0.86 vs. 0.84; P = 0.46; and area under the curve, 0.81 vs. 0.83; P = 0.41, respectively). Moreover, patients with more severe symptoms in the majority of individual components of the QoL-B-RSS were more likely to experience exacerbations. Conclusions: Symptoms can serve as useful indicators for identifying patients at increased risk of exacerbation in bronchiectasis. Beyond relying solely on exacerbation history, a comprehensive assessment of symptoms could facilitate timely and cost-effective implementation of interventions for exacerbation prevention.

The prevalence of anxiety and depression in bronchiectasis patients and their association with disease severity: a cross-sectional study

Bronchiectasis is a chronic lung disease characterized by recurrent respiratory symptoms. Several studies demonstrated that psychological comorbidities are common in patients with bronchiectasis. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of anxiety and depression in bronchiectasis patients and assess their association with disease severity. In this cross-sectional study, we included patients diagnosed with bronchiectasis. The study was conducted using an interviewer-administered questionnaire via phone calls and data collected from the electronic medical records at JUH. The questionnaire included patients' demographics and disease characteristics. Anxiety and depression were assessed using GAD7 and PHQ9 respectively. Bronchiectasis disease severity was assessed using BSI and FACED score. The total number of included patients was 133. Moreover, 53.4% of the participants were females while the rest were males (46.6%). PHQ9 demonstrated that 65.4% of the patients had depression. Regarding anxiety, GAD7 scale showed that 54.1% of the patients had anxiety. Pearson correlation showed that bronchiectasis severity index was significantly associated only with PHQ9 depression scores (r = 0.212, P value = 0.014). The prevalence of depression and anxiety is high among patients with bronchiectasis. We believe that patients affected with bronchiectasis should be screened for depression to improve their quality of life.

Asthma Therapies on Pulmonary Tuberculosis Pneumonia in Predominant Bronchiectasis-Asthma Combination

Background: It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between asthma and bronchiectasis as their symptoms overlap, and these two diseases are associated with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) or pneumonia.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of bronchodilator drugs, steroids, antidepressants drugs, and antianxiety drugs on the risks of PTB or pneumonia in patients with bronchiectasis–asthma combination or bronchiectasis–asthma–chronic obstructive pulmonary disease combination—BCAS cohort.

Methods: After propensity score matching, we retrospectively studied patients with BCAS (N = 620) and without BCAS (N = 2,314) through an analysis. The cumulative incidence of PTB or pneumonia was analyzed through Cox proportional regression. After adjustment for sex, age, comorbidities, and medications [including long-acting beta2 agonist/muscarinic antagonists (LABAs/LAMAs), short-acting beta2 agonist/muscarinic antagonists (SABAs/SAMAs), leukotriene receptor antagonist, montelukast, steroids (inhaled corticosteroids, ICSs; oral steroids, OSs), anti-depressants (fluoxetine), and anti-anxiety drugs (benzodiazepines, BZDs)], we calculated the adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for these risks. Similar to OSs, ICSs are associated with an increased risk of PTB or pneumonia, lumping these two as steroids (ICSs/OSs).

Results: For the aHR (95% CI), with non-LABAs/non-OSs as the reference 1, the use of LABAs [0.70 (0.52–0.94)]/OSs [0.35 (0.29–0.44)] was associated with a lower risk of PTB or pneumonia. However, the current use of LABAs [2.39 (1.31–4.34)]/SABAs [1.61 (1.31–1.96)], steroids [ICSs 3.23 (1.96–5.29)]/OSs 1.76 (1.45–2.14)], and BZDs [alprazolam 1.73 (1.08–2.75)/fludiazepam 7.48 (1.93–28.9)] was associated with these risks. The current use of LAMAs [0.52 (0.14–1.84)]/SAMAs [1.45 (0.99–2.11)] was not associated with these risks.

Conclusion: The current use of LAMAs/SAMAs is relatively safe with respect to PTB or pneumonia risks, but LABAs/SABAs, steroids, and BZDs could be used after evaluation of the benefit for the BCAS cohort. However, we must take the possible protopathic bias into account.

Effect of exercise-based pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with bronchiectasis: A meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to assess the effectiveness of exercise training in patients with bronchiectasis in terms of exercise capacity, pulmonary function, and quality of life.

METHODS

PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining pulmonary rehabilitation to treat bronchiectasis, and the search timeline was from inception through November 2020. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted data, evaluated the risk of bias in the included studies, and used Review Manager 5.3 software to perform the meta-analysis. The primary outcomes were incremental shuttle walk distance (ISWD) and 6-minute walk distance (6-MWD) at 8 weeks. The secondary outcomes were forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) score, and Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) score at 8 weeks.

RESULTS

A total of five RCTs with a total of 198 patients were included. A pooled analysis showed that improvements in ISWD (mean difference [MD] = 92.47 m, 95% confidence interval [CI] 49.87, 135.08; P < 0.0001), 6-MWD (MD = 31.01 m, 95% CI 1.60, 60.42; P = 0.04), and FEV1 (MD = 0.08 L, 95% CI 0.04, 0.12; P = 0.0002) in the pulmonary rehabilitation group were more marked than in the control group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the improvement in SGRQ and LCQ scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Pulmonary rehabilitation improves exercise capacity and pulmonary function (specifically FEV1) in patients with bronchiectasis. However, due to limitations in the number and quality of current studies, the above conclusions need to be verified in future research.

COVID-19 anxiety and quality of life among Iranian nurses

BACKGROUND

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exposed nurses, who are a very important group involved in the care of these patients, to many stresses that may affect their quality of life. This study aimed to determine the relationship between COVID-19 anxiety and the quality of life among Iranian nurses.

METHOD

This online cross-sectional study enrolled 1,131 of Iranian nurses working at the time of the COVID-19 outbreak in treatment centers in different parts of Iran from April to May 2020. The convenience sampling strategy was used. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), and Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS). The stepwise multiple linear regression models were used to examine the relationships among self-reported anxiety concerning COVID-19 and SF-36 quality of life, its components, and subscales. Partial r was used as an estimate of effect size.

RESULT

The mean SF-36 score was 65.2 (SD=17.6). The mean score of the mental component summary (MCS) (M=56.8, SD=22.3) was lower than the mean score of the physical component summary (PCS) (M=71.6, SD=17.5). The mean score of COVID-19 anxiety was 17.8 (SD=10.5). Of the participants, 378 (33.4%; 95% CI [30.7%, 36.3%]), and 152 (13.4%; 95% CI [11.5%, 15.6%]) reported moderate and severe anxiety, respectively. According to the results of stepwise multiple linear regression model, after adjusting for possible confounding variables, the SF-36 quality of life was still significantly negatively associated with COVID-19 anxiety, with a large effect size (The partial r = -0.515, p < 0.001). The relationship between the SF-36 components and COVID-19 anxiety were also significant, and moderate to large effect sizes were observed (The partial r for (PCS; COVID-19 anxiety) = -0.404; p < 0.001, and for (MCS; COVID-19 anxiety) = -0.521; p < 0.001). In addition, significant correlation coefficients for every subscale of the SF-36 were found for COVID-19 anxiety and its two components, with small to large effect sizes (The partial correlations= -0.211 to -0.524, all ps< 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The results showed that higher COVID-19 anxiety in nurses decreases their quality of life. In order to increase nurses' quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is recommended to design and implement programs to reduce their COVID-19 anxiety.

The Establishment of China Bronchiectasis Registry and Research Collaboration (BE-China): Protocol of a prospective multicenter observational study

BACKGROUND

Bronchiectasis is a highly heterogeneous chronic airway disease with marked geographic and ethnic variations. Most influential cohort studies to date have been performed in Europe and USA, which serve as the examples for developing a cohort study in China where there is a high burden of bronchiectasis. The Establishment of China Bronchiectasis Registry and Research Collaboration (BE-China) is designed to: (1) describe the clinical characteristics and natural history of bronchiectasis in China and identify the differences of bronchiectasis between the western countries and China; (2) identify the risk factors associated with disease progression in Chinese population; (3) elucidate the phenotype and endotype of bronchiectasis by integrating the genome, microbiome, proteome, and transcriptome with detailed clinical data; (4) facilitate large randomized controlled trials in China.

METHODS

The BE-China is an ongoing prospective, longitudinal, multi-center, observational cohort study aiming to recruit a minimum of 10,000 patients, which was initiated in January 2020 in China. Comprehensive data, including medical history, aetiological testing, lung function, microbiological profiles, radiological scores, comorbidities, mental status, and quality of life (QoL), will be collected at baseline. Patients will be followed up annually for up to 10 years to record longitudinal data on outcomes, treatment patterns and QoL. Biospecimens, if possible, will be collected and stored at - 80 °C for further research. Up to October 2021, the BE-China has enrolled 3758 patients, and collected 666 blood samples and 196 sputum samples from 91 medical centers. The study protocol has been approved by the Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital ethics committee, and all collaborating centers have received approvals from their local ethics committee. All patients will be required to provide written informed consent to their participation.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings of the BE-China will be crucial to reveal the clinical characteristics and natural history of bronchiectasis and facilitate evidence-based clinical practice in China. Trial registration Registration Number in ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03643653.

Influence of chronic sputum symptoms on quality of life in patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The effect of chronic sputum (CS) symptoms on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) has not been studied. The aim of this study was to clarify the differences in the clinical characteristics of NTM-PD patients with and without CS and to investigate the effect of CS on HRQOL.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included patients with NTM-PD who were prescribed pulmonary rehabilitation at the Fukujuji Hospital from March 2016 to June 2019. HRQOL was evaluated using the MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36).

RESULTS

Of the 99 subjects studied, 71 had CS (CS+) (71.7%), and 28 (28.3%) did not have CS (CS-). Patients in the CS + group had a lower body mass index, forced vital capacity percent predicted, and forced expiratory volume in 1 s percent predicted. Regarding the radiological evaluation, the proportion of patients with the fibrocavitary form and the radiological score were significantly higher in the CS + group. The mental component summary (MCS) score of the SF-36 were significantly lower in the CS + group. Multiple regression analysis showed that the presence of CS was independently associated with a lower MCS score of the SF-36.

CONCLUSIONS

NTM-PD patients with CS had more severe disease, with reduced pulmonary function and severe radiological findings. CS was shown to independently affect HRQOL, especially mental status.

Prevalence of depression and its associated factors in bronchiectasis: findings from KMBARC registry

BACKGROUND

With the emergence of bronchiectasis as a common respiratory disease, epidemiological data have accumulated. However, the prevalence and impact of psychological comorbidities were not sufficiently evaluated. The present study examined the prevalence of depression and its associated factors in patients with bronchiectasis.

METHODS

This study involved a multicenter cohort of bronchiectasis patients recruited from 33 pulmonary specialist hospitals. The baseline characteristics and bronchiectasis-related factors at enrollment were analyzed. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).

RESULTS

Of the 810 patients enrolled in the study, 168 (20.7%) patients had relevant depression (PHQ-9 score ≥ 10), and only 20 (11.9%) patients had a diagnosis of depression. Significant differences were noted in the depressive symptoms with disease severity, which was assessed using the Bronchiectasis Severity Index and E-FACED (all p < 0.001). Depressive symptoms inversely correlated with quality-of-life (r = - 0.704, p < 0.001) and positively correlated with fatigue severity score (r = 0.712, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that depression was significantly associated with the modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale ≥ 2 (OR 2.960, 95% CI 1.907-4.588, p =  < 0.001) and high number of exacerbations (≥ 3) in the previous year (OR 1.596, 95% CI 1.012-2.482, p = 0.041).

CONCLUSIONS

Depression is common, but its association with bronchiectasis was underrecognized. It negatively affected quality-of-life and presented with fatigue symptoms. Among the bronchiectasis-related factors, dyspnea and exacerbation were closely associated with depression. Therefore, active screening for depression is necessary to optimize the treatment of bronchiectasis.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study was registered at Clinical Research Information Service (CRiS), Republic of Korea (KCT0003088). The date of registration was June 19th, 2018.

Respiratory symptoms and health-related quality of life in post-tuberculosis subjects with physician-diagnosed bronchiectasis: a cross-sectional study

Background

Prevalence, respiratory symptoms, and quality of life (QoL) in post-tuberculosis (TB) subjects with bronchiectasis are not well elucidated.

Methods

Subjects who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey 2007–2009 were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. We evaluated the prevalence of physician-diagnosed bronchiectasis among post-TB subjects. We compared respiratory symptoms, physical activity limitations, and QoL between post-TB subjects with and without bronchiectasis.

Results

The prevalence of bronchiectasis was 3.3% among 963 post-TB subjects. Post-TB subjects with bronchiectasis showed a higher rate of asthma (29.6% vs. 4.9%, P<0.001) than those without bronchiectasis. Post-TB subjects with bronchiectasis showed more cough (23.9% vs. 6.7%, P=0.033) and physical activity limitations due to respiratory diseases (35.0% vs. 8.9%, P=0.033) than those without bronchiectasis. Furthermore, compared with post-TB subjects without bronchiectasis, those with bronchiectasis had lower QoL measured by the EuroQoL five-dimension (EQ-5D) index (0.84 vs. 0.93, P=0.048). Linear regression analysis found that the EQ-5D index in post-TB subjects with bronchiectasis was significantly lower than in those without bronchiectasis (difference estimate =–0.089, P=0.030), especially in the anxiety/depression component.

Conclusions

Post-TB subjects with bronchiectasis had more cough and physical activity limitations and lower health-related QoL than those without bronchiectasis.

Anxiety and depression as possible criteria in the treatment of bronchiectasis

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of bronchiectasis operation on anxiety and depression.

Methods

Between August 2014 and March 2019, a total of 167 patients with bronchiectasis (107 males, 60 females; mean age: 43.5±13.9 years; range, 18 to 84 years) who received medical (n=70) and surgical (n=97) treatment were retrospectively analyzed. Data including patients" characteristics, operation indication, operation type, and bronchiectasis localization were obtained from the electronic patient files. The patients were reached via phone calls and evaluated whether the operation provided a significant symptomatic improvement and whether the symptoms disappeared. The number of exacerbations/hospitalizations associated with bronchiectasis within the last year was also questioned. The anxiety and depression status of the patients in both groups was assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.

Results

Eleven (15%) patients in the medical group and 10 (10%) patients in the surgical group had an anxiety score above 7. Twenty-one (30%) patients in the medical group and 10 (10%) patients in the surgical group had a depression score above 7. Both the anxiety and depression scores were significantly lower in the surgical group than the medical group (p<0.001). Annual exacerbation and annual hospitalization rates were also significantly lower in the surgical group (p<0.001).

Conclusion

Our study results suggest that patients with bronchiectasis treated medically rather than surgically are more prone to be anxious and depressive. The benefits of surgical treatment in patients with bronchiectasis is not limited to improving symptoms and decreasing the frequency of exacerbations/hospitalizations. We believe that surgical treatment also reduces anxiety and depression and improve the quality of life. While making a surgical decision, the anxiety/depression status of bronchiectasis patients should be considered.

Personalized approaches to bronchiectasis

Introduction: Interest in bronchiectasis is increasing due to its rising prevalence, associated with aging populations and the extended use of high-resolution chest tomography (HRCT), and the resulting high morbidity, mortality, and demand for resources.Areas covered: This article provides an extensive review of bronchiectasis as a complex and heterogeneous disease, as well as examining the difficulty of establishing useful clinical phenotypes. In keeping with the aims of 'precision medicine', we address the disease of bronchiectasis from three specific perspectives: severity, activity, and impact. We used PubMed to search the literature for articles including the following keywords: personalized medicine, bronchiectasis, biomarkers, phenotypes, precision medicine, treatable traits. We reviewed the most relevant articles published over the last 5 years.Expert opinion: This article reflects on the usefulness of these three dimensions in 'control panels' and clinical fingerprinting, as well as approaches to personalized medicine and the treatable features of bronchiectasis non-cystic fibrosis.

A multidisciplinary approach to the management of nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease: a clinical perspective

INTRODUCTION

Management of nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease (NTM-LD) can be encumbered by difficult diagnostic criteria and complex treatment decisions. As prevalence of this debilitating, often refractory, progressive lung disease increases globally, management must evolve beyond antimicrobials to encompass holistic and customized treatments coordinated by practitioners across various specialties.

AREAS COVERED

This review aims to complement the recently updated NTM-LD treatment guidelines and expand current approaches to diagnosis, treatment, and disease management in a multidisciplinary dimension. The foundation of effective long-term management of NTM-LD is awareness of diagnostic criteria, individual patient risk factors, and the importance of managing underlying pulmonary and nonpulmonary comorbidities. The value of adopting all available pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment modalities with a patient-centered approach to address the needs of long-term patient care cannot be minimized.

EXPERT OPINION

This section, while acknowledging the limited advances in understanding of NTM-LD and the availability of newer diagnostic and therapeutic tools over the last decade, underscores the need for a programmatic approach to this chronic, debilitating pulmonary infection. This will not only lead to more comprehensive patient care with better outcomes, but will also inspire and activate robust networks of research and public health initiatives in this field.

Comorbidities and mortality risk factors for patients with bronchiectasis

Introduction: Comorbidities in patients with bronchiectasis are common and have a significant impact on clinical outcomes, contributing to lower quality of life, lung function, and exacerbation frequency. At least 13 comorbidities have been associated with a higher risk of mortality in bronchiectasis patients. Nonetheless, the kind of relationship between bronchiectasis and comorbidities is heterogeneous and poorly understood.Areas covered: different biological mechanisms leading to bronchiectasis could have a role in the development of the associated comorbidities. Some comorbidities could have a causal relationship with bronchiectasis, possibly through a variable degree of systemic inflammation, such as in rheumatic disorders and bowel inflammatory diseases. Other comorbidities, such as COPD or asthma, could be associated through airway inflammation and there is an uncertain cause-effect relationship. Finally, shared risk factors could link different comorbidities to bronchiectasis such as in the case of cardiovascular diseases, where the known link between chronic systemic inflammation and pulmonary infection could play a significant role.Expert opinion: Although different tools have been developed to assess the role of comorbidities in bronchiectasis , we believe that the implementation of current strategies to manage them is absolutely necessary and could significantly improve long-term prognosis in patients with bronchiectasis.

Anxiety and depression in bronchiectasis: Response to pulmonary rehabilitation and minimal clinically important difference of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale

The aims of the study were to evaluate the responsiveness of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety (HADS-A) subscale and HADS-Depression (HADS-D) subscale to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in patients with bronchiectasis compared to a matched group of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and provide estimates of the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of HADS-A and HADS-D in bronchiectasis. Patients with bronchiectasis and at least mild anxiety or depression (HADS-A ≥ 8 or/and HADS-D ≥ 8), as well as a propensity score-matched control group of patients with COPD, underwent an 8-week outpatient PR programme (two supervised sessions per week). Within- and between-group changes were calculated in response to PR. Anchor- and distribution-based methods were used to estimate the MCID. HADS-A and HADS-D improved in response to PR in both patients with bronchiectasis and those with COPD (median (25th, 75th centile)/mean (95% confidence interval) change: HADS-A change: bronchiectasis −2 (−5, 0), COPD −2 (−4, 0); p = 0.43 and HADS-D change: bronchiectasis −2 (−2 to −1), COPD −2 (−3 to −2); p = 0.16). Using 26 estimates, the MCID for HADS-A and HADS-D was −2 points. HADS-A and HADS-D are responsive to PR in patients with bronchiectasis and symptoms of mood disorder, with an MCID estimate of −2 points.

Validity of Self-rating Screening Scales for the Diagnosis of Depression and Anxiety in Adult Patients With Bronchiectasis

BACKGROUND

There are no previous studies aimed at assessing the validity of the screening scales for depression and anxiety in adult patients with bronchiectasis.

AIMS

To analyze the psychometric properties of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale and to evaluate the concordance for the diagnosis of depression and anxiety between these screening scales and the structured clinical interview in adult patients with bronchiectasis.

METHOD

Cross sectional study. 52 patients with bronchiectasis completed HADS, BDI and Hamilton Anxiety Scale; afterwards, were individually interviewed by a mental health care professional using the structured Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), which evaluates for depression and anxiety according to DSM-IV criteria.

RESULTS

Based on MINI, 18 subjects (34.6%) had a diagnosis of depression and 25 (48.1%) had anxiety. Optimal cut-off values to detect depression were ≥9 for the HADS-D (sensitivity 0.833, specificity 0.971, AUC 0.962 [95% CI 0.918-1]), and 17 for BDI (sensitivity 0.889, specificity 0.912, AUC 0.978 [95% CI 0.945-1]). Optimal cut-off values to detect anxiety were ≥4 for the HADS-A (sensitivity 0.960, specificity 0.593, AUC 0.833 [95% CI 0.723-0.943]), and 17 for Hamilton Anxiety Scale (sensitivity 0.800, specificity 0.852, AUC 0.876 [95% CI 0.781-0.970]).

CONCLUSION

The self-rating screening scales HADS, BDI and Hamilton Anxiety Scale are reliable tools to screen for depression and anxiety in adult patients with bronchiectasis. However, the use of specific cut-off values may improve the diagnostic accuracy of the previous scales in this specific group of patients.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for patients with chronic lung disease and psychological comorbidities undergoing pulmonary rehabilitation

Background

The study aimed to determine the effects of adding cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to pulmonary rehabilitation to treat patients with chronic lung disease and comorbid anxiety and/or depression symptoms.

Methods

An open, parallel group, randomised controlled trial (RCT) was conducted, with longitudinal follow-up of 12 months. CBT was delivered in 2 face-to-face sessions and 4 phone sessions to patients with depression or anxiety undergoing pulmonary rehabilitation. The main outcome measures were change in Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI); secondary outcomes were St. Georges Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and pulmonary rehabilitation attendance.

Results

A total of 65 patients were randomized to Intervention (n=24) and Control (n=41) groups. Of the 24 patients in the Intervention group, 6 patients (25%) withdrew and 4 patients (12.5%) failed to attend more than 2 CBT sessions, which was significantly more than the Control group. The majority of patients (75.4%) had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Fourteen (21.5%) had symptoms of depression only, 12 (18.4%) had symptoms of anxiety only, and 39 (60.0%) had symptoms of both anxiety and depression. In the Intervention group, GDS significantly improved at the end of pulmonary rehabilitation (mean difference -3.1, 95% CI: -4.39 to -1.70; P=0.0001), 3 months follow-up (mean difference -1.5, 95% CI: -4.17 to -0.75; P=0.008), and at 12 months follow-up (mean difference -1.6, 95% CI: -3.29 to -0.03, P=0.04), compared to baseline. The Control group demonstrated improvement in GDS by the end of pulmonary rehabilitation (mean difference -1.3, 95% CI: -2.4 to -0.27; P=0.01) which was not maintained at 3 months (P=0.14) and 12 months (P=0.25). GAI significantly improved by the end of rehabilitation in both the Intervention (mean difference -2.6, 95% -4.69 to -0.57; P=0.01) and Control groups (mean difference -2.6, 95% -4.16 to -1.14; P=0.001) and there was no significant improvement at 3 and 12 months. No statistically significant differences in changes in GDS or GAI were observed between the Intervention and Control groups at any time point. There was no significant improvement in SGRQ or 6MWT. There was a significant increase in attended pulmonary rehabilitation sessions in the Intervention group, compared to the Control group (mean difference 1.59; 95% CI: 0.11 to 3.07; P=0.03).

Conclusions

In this RCT of patients with chronic lung diseases attending pulmonary rehabilitation, there was no evidence found for improved symptoms of anxiety or depression or health-related quality of life with the addition of CBT given in a mixed face-to-face and telephone format, compared to usual care. Slower than anticipated recruitment, leading to a smaller than planned sample size, and a high dropout rate in the group allocated to CBT may have limited the effectiveness of the behavioural intervention approach in this study.

Paediatric and adult bronchiectasis: Monitoring, cross-infection, role of multidisciplinary teams and self-management plans

Bronchiectasis is a chronic lung disease associated with structurally abnormal bronchi, clinically manifested by a persistent wet/productive cough, airway infections and recurrent exacerbations. Early identification and treatment of acute exacerbations is an integral part of monitoring and annual review, in both adults and children, to minimize further damage due to infection and inflammation. Common modalities used to monitor disease progression include clinical signs and symptoms, frequency of exacerbations and/or number of hospital admissions, lung function (forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV₁ )% predicted), imaging (radiological severity of disease) and sputum microbiology (chronic infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa). There is good evidence that these monitoring tools can be used to accurately assess severity of disease and predict prognosis in terms of mortality and future hospitalization. Other tools that are currently used in research settings such as health-related quality of life (QoL) questionnaires, magnetic resonance imaging and lung clearance index can be burdensome and require additional expertise or resource, which limits their use in clinical practice. Studies have demonstrated that cross-infection, especially with P. aeruginosa between patients with bronchiectasis is possible but infrequent. This should not limit participation of patients in group activities such as pulmonary rehabilitation, and simple infection control measures should be carried out to limit the risk of cross-transmission. A multidisciplinary approach to care which includes respiratory physicians, chest physiotherapists, nurse specialists and other allied health professionals are vital in providing holistic care. Patient education and personalized self-management plans are also important despite limited evidence it improves QoL or frequency of exacerbations.