engleski

Levels of depression and anxiety in the patients with IBD

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is according to the biopsychosocial model multifactorial in etiology and results from the interaction of genetic, immune, social and psychological factors. The aim of our study was to investigate the presence and levels of depression and anxiety in the patients with IBD. Sixty-five patients admitted to Outpatients Clinic of the Department of Gastroenterology at University Hospital Centre Rijeka, participated in our study. There were 30 patients with Crohn' s disease and 35 patients with ulcerative colitis, aged 19 to 63 (M=40.83 ; SD=12.42) who filled the questionnaires (Beck Depression Inventory, Spielbergers Trait-Anxiety Inventory). The mean total depression score was 8.47 (SD=7.04) which is within normal range, but among them 6 patients (9%) had depressive symptoms with a score of 18 or above, reflecting clinically relevant depression and 15 patients (23%) had depressive symptoms with score ranging from 10 to 18, reflecting mild depression. The mean total anxiety score was 32.83 (SD=12.38). Twenty-five patients (40%) had anxiety score of 35 or above reflecting elevated anxiety. Depression and anxiety score are elevated in certain number of IBD patients and should deserve more consideration in the clinical treatment of those patients.

IBD; depression; anxiety

doi:10.1016/S1873-9954(07)70070-8