The evaluation of anxiety and depression in spontaneous pneumothorax

Abstract

Aim: Psychiatric disorders are common in patients with advanced respiratory diseases. The prevalence of primary spontaneous pneumothorax ranges from 1.2-37 per 100,000 population per year, and the risk of recurrence causes anxiety and depression for the patients.  Material and Method: The Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale was applied to 50 patients with a primary spontaneous pneumothorax that underwent treatment in our clinic and a control group of 50 individuals. The study and control group had similar participants (50 patients, 9 women and 41 men). The control group comprised otherways healthy participans aged between 18-40 who had admitted to the smoking cessation clinic. Results: While the study group's mean age was 25.2, it was 29 in the control group (covariance analysis used for the correction). On anxiety scale, the study group's mean score was calculated as 8.6, while it was 5.7 in the control group. The difference was found to be significantly higher in the patient group. The depression scale score of the study group was 5.8, and the control group's score was 5.7. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups.  Conclusion: Since pneumothorax is a sudden, recurring, and severe illness that can cause respiratory distress, it may lead to anxiety or depression in patients. Without treatment, life-threatening consequences such as dyspnea and cardiac collapse may occur. Furthermore, the painful procedure of tube thoracostomy increases the patients' anxiety. Our objective is to identify potential anxiety-depression in pneumothorax patients, leading to improved mental health outcomes, increased satisfaction, lower readmission rates, and reduced care costs.