Recent advances on the association between chronic respiratory diseases and psychological distress

Introduction: Research has consistently demonstrated the link between respiratory health and psychological distress. Chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and chronic rhinitis have significant impacts on psychological distress (Connolly et al., 2016; Galhenage et al., 2018). Method: Using Scopus, Psycinfo and Google Scholar databases, a review of current research on the mediation role of psycho-social variables in the relationship between chronic respiratory diseases and psychological distress has been conducted. Results: Association between CRDs and psychological distress is bidirectional and multifactorial and includes physical, physiological and psychosocial factors, that were significantly related with depressive and anxiety symptoms (Zhou et al., 2017). Depressive symptoms occur in patients with asthma and are associated with impaired sleep quality and inadequate disease control (Lima Campos et al., 2017) as well as with hospital readmission in older adults with asthma and COPD (Connolly et al., 2016). Anxiety could be explained by sleep disturbances, increased daytime cough, and lower education level (Hua Gao et al., 2017). Patients with sinonasal symptoms demonstrate high prevalence and complex associations of general illness factors, psychological distress and certain personality traits. Emotional instability is more strongly associated with sinonasal symptoms burden than others (Kara et al., 2017). Conclusion: Detecting the presence of anxiety and depression in patients with CRDs is becoming more and more important for clinicians. Assessment and treatment of anxiety and depression are important, as these common comorbidities can negatively impact treatment compliance, increasing the difficulty of controlling the lung disease.