Mental Health Suffers in COPD Patients

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, particularly women, may be significantly more likely to suffer psychiatric disorders than the general population, researchers found.

Nearly half (49%) of the patients with COPD in a cross-sectional study had at least one psychiatric disorder. There's a 31% rate in the general population.

Nearly twice as many women in the study as men were diagnosed with a psychiatric problem despite similar COPD duration and severity (60% versus 38%, P=0.03), they reported in the July issue of the journal CHEST.

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