Inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation: the relationship between anxiety, depression and clinical outcome measures of COPD

Affiliated institutions include: University of Toronto (D. Brooks), West Park Healthcare Centre (K. Hill)Purpose: To describe the prevalence of feelings of anxiety and depression in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) admitted to inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation, using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and to explore associations between these feelings and clinical outcomes. A secondary purpose was to examine whether the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ) could screen for feelings of anxiety and depression. Methods: A chart review was conducted (n=188) of people with COPD admitted to a rehabilitation hospital in Toronto, Ontario over 2 years. Data was collected from the HADS, CRQ and clinical outcomes of disease severity, dyspnea, fatigue, health-related quality of life and functional exercise capacity. Results: The HADS identified feelings of anxiety (35%) and depression (37%) in the cohort. HADS scores were significantly correlated with the CRQ domains (range: r= -0.341 to -0.610, p< 0.01), and with measures of dyspnea (range: r=0.263- 0.277, p