Anxiety, its relation to symptoms severity and anxiety sensitivity in sarcoidosis

Anxiety, its relation to symptoms severity and anxiety sensitivity in sarcoidosis

Authors

  • Pawel Holas II Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
  • Izabela Krejtz Interdisciplinary Center for Applied Cognitive Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poland
  • Tomasz Urbankowski "Alveolus" Student Interest Group in Pneumonology and Allergology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
  • Artur Skowyra "Alveolus" Student Interest Group in Pneumonology and Allergology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
  • Anna Ludwiniak "Alveolus" Student Interest Group in Pneumonology and Allergology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
  • Joanna Domagala-Kulawik Department of Internal Medicine, Pneumonology and Allergology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland

Keywords:

sarcoidosis, anxiety sensivity, anxiety

Abstract

Background. Sarcoidosis is a chronic systemic granulomatous disease of unknown etiology. Previ-ous studies demonstrated that patients with sarcoidosis had high rates of depression and anxiety, and high magnitude of stressful life events. To date, however, studies have not examined the anxi-ety sensitivity in sarcoid patients and the relationship between psychopathology and symptomse-verity of sarcoidosis.The aims of this study were to evaluate prevalence of depression and anxiety in sarcoid patients, to assess their relationship with the disease symptom severity, and to investigate the relationship between sarcoidosis and anxiety sensitivity. Methods:Thirty three sarcoid patients and thirty three control subjects completed the following:Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3. Results: The prevalence of depression (29%) and anxiety (31%) was high among patients and comparable to results from other research groups. Anxiety was significantly correlated with symptom severity and was the main covariate of physical symptoms reported by sarcoid patients. Patients exhibited an increase of their total anxiety sensitivity index and had an increased number of physical concerns.Conclusions: These data confirmed earlier reports that anxiety and depression are common in patients with sarcoidosis and expanded on the previous results by showing that patients exhibited increased anxiety sensitivity and a fear of physical sensations. These results, together with the findings that anxiety was associated with sarcoidosis symptom severity, suggest that targeting anxiety and the physical health concerns may be important in the diagnosis and management of this disease.

Author Biography

Pawel Holas, II Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland

Assistant Professor, II Department of Psychiatry,

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Published

17-12-2013

Issue

Section

Original Articles: Clinical Research

How to Cite

1.
Holas P, Krejtz I, Urbankowski T, Skowyra A, Ludwiniak A, Domagala-Kulawik J. Anxiety, its relation to symptoms severity and anxiety sensitivity in sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis [Internet]. 2013 Dec. 17 [cited 2025 Apr. 28];30(4):282-8. Available from: https://www.mattioli1885journals.com/index.php/sarcoidosis/article/view/2904