The factors affecting Beck depression scale in asthmatic patients

Symptoms of asthma can be intensified and/or mixed with depression since depression can cause asthmatic symptoms like complaints even in normal people. In the present study, depression index and its influencing parameters were examined in asthmatic patients. A questionnaire including sociodemografic features was applied to 120 patients, accepted as asthmatic according to the Thoracic Society Guidelines, who were following up in our asthma and allergy outpatient clinic. There were 98 female and 22 male patients and the mean age was 38.19 +/- 10.99. Physical examination, PEF and spirometric measures were made in all patients. Also daytime and nighttime symptom score, Q score, Beck depression score were applied to patients. Beck Depression Index (BDI) was in range of 0 and 37 and the mean was 11.26 +/- 8.54 (mild). According to the cut-off values, BDI scores were obtained as absent, mild, moderate and severe, 59%, 27%, 9%, 7% respectively. The mean BDI score was higher in female patients (12.32 +/- 8.77) than in male patients (6.55 +/- 5.41) and in married patients (11.91 +/- 8.77) than in unmarried ones (7.56 +/- 6.00). According to the results of FEV(1) values, PEF changes, there were no significant difference obtained between groups (p> 0.05). The mean value of BDI was found to be significantly high in patients with moderate and high daytime and nighttime score and Q score (p< 0.05). In conclusion, we think that, while evaluating the severity of asthma, if the spirometric results are not correlated with the symptoms then psychological conditions of the patients should be taken into consideration.