RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 A survey exploring psychological distress among patients with COPD during the COVID-19 pandemic
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP PA974
DO 10.1183/13993003.congress-2021.PA974
VO 58
IS suppl 65
A1 Ingeborg Farver-Vestergaard
A1 Sandra Rubio-Rask
A1 Ole Hilberg
A1 Anders Løkke
YR 2021
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/58/suppl_65/PA974.abstract
AB Background: Many patients with COPD are at risk of severe illness if infected with COVID-19. The level of psychological distress is high in this patient group, and some patients may experience worsening of anxiety during the pandemic.Aim: To explore the characteristics of patients with COPD who during the pandemic experience high versus low levels of anxiety.Methods: Patients with COPD completed questionnaires measuring general anxiety symptoms (General Anxiety Disorder-7), COPD-specific anxiety (COPD Anxiety Questionnaire), COPD symptoms (COPD Assessment Test), disease-related information and a single item assessing the experienced impact of the pandemic on anxiety (1=not at all–5=very much). Differences in disease-related and psychological characteristics between participants reporting low versus high pandemic impact on anxiety (median split=4) were explored using t and chi2 tests.Results: In the total sample (n=260, mean age: 64.3), the mean pandemic impact on anxiety was 3.72 (1.28). Those who reported high impact (53%) also reported higher levels of general anxiety, COPD-related anxiety and COPD symptoms (p<0.001), compared to low impact participants. A larger proportion of participants who reported high pandemic impact was female (78 vs. 67%, p=0.038). There were no differences in age, oxygen use or exacerbation history between groups.Conclusions: Patients with COPD experience negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anxiety. Those experiencing highest impact also report higher levels of psychological distress and self-reported COPD symptoms, which could be unrelated to their COVID-19 risk profile. Larger, longitudinal studies are needed to confirm this finding.FootnotesCite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2021; 58: Suppl. 65, PA974.This abstract was presented at the 2021 ERS International Congress, in session “Prediction of exacerbations in patients with COPD”.This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).