Evaluation of anxiety and depression in asthma patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

Aim: To determine the frequency of the development of anxiety and depression in asthma patients who attended an outpatient clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic, whether these rates were higher than those of the healthy population, and whether there is a possible relationship between asthma control levels, anxiety, and depression. Method: A total of 112 patients with asthma and 81controls, whose mean ages and genders were matched, were included in the study. Demographic data of the two groups and general information about their asthmatic conditions were recorded. Asthma control tests (ACTs) were performed to determine the level of asthma control. The Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory were administered to the asthma patients and controls. The groups were compared in terms of their Beck depression and anxiety scores and asthma control. We investigated whether there is a relationship between asthma control level and anxiety and depression scores. Results: Of the asthma patients, 78.6% were found to have anxiety, and 48.2% reported depression, while 32.1% anxiety and 12.3% depression were found in the control group. Depression and anxiety scores were significantly higher in asthma patients than in the control group. It was observed that 59% of the patients had very poorly controlled asthma, and as the ACT levels of the patients worsened, depression and anxiety scores increased. Conclusions: To reduce the frequency of anxiety and depression in asthma patients, it is essential to provide accurate information about COVID-19 and to effectively control asthma. Therefore, asthma patients should be informed about COVID-19 and advised to engage in regular outpatient examinations

Evaluation of smoking behaviour according to gender, symptoms and diagnoses at a pulmonology outpatient visit

Smoking during the hours prior to an examination in a pulmonology outpatient clinic may provide valuable information regarding patients' smoking behaviour. The objective of our study was to examine the association of gender, symptoms, and current diagnoses with active smoking status and smoking on the day of outpatient visits. This was a retrospective, observational, cross-sectional study. A total of 1863 patients were included. Symptoms, diagnoses, smoking history, and the last smoking time prior to the outpatient clinic visit were recorded. Males were more likely to be active or ex-smokers, while females were more likely to be non-smokers (p [Med-Science 2022; 11(4.000): 1461-6