Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate and Total Serum Protein as Biochemical Markers of Anxiety in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a medical condition which is primarily characterized by airway inflammation and destruction of the pulmonary parenchyma. Besides the well-known physical comorbidities, psychological comorbidities such as anxiety have been found to be also increased in this category of patients. Our main three hypotheses referred to the biochemical markers of COPD (erythrocyte sedimentation rate- ESR, total serum protein and forced expiratory volume in the first second- FEV1) and their power of predicting the level of anxiety in this population. The study was conducted on 150 patients suffering from COPD. Based on their anxiety level, they were distributed in 2 groups: high anxiety and low anxiety. The results showed statistical significant differences between the two experimental groups regarding all three of our dependent variables, validating all of our three hypotheses. More specific, the patients in the high anxiety group had a significantly lower mean of FEV1 compared to low anxiety group (M = 46.01 vs. M = 41.47; p = 0.042). Also, patients from the high anxiety group had a significantly higher mean of total serum proteins compared to low anxiety group (M = 9.2 vs. M = 8.6; p = 0.002). And lastly, patients with high anxiety symptoms had a higher mean of ESR compared to those with low anxiety symptoms (M = 27.54 vs. M = 22.8; p = 0.045). Therefore, these biochemical markers commonly used in the diagnosing of COPD may be also used in predicting the severity of anxiety symptoms in this at risk group of patients.

The Covid-19 Pandemic′s Impact on Healthcare Professionals′ Mental Health

“…However, practicing self-care can be of vital importance to coping with the demands and workload of their profession. Findings suggest that public health initiatives should identify and target people with heavy psychological burdens since many healthcare professionals can benefit from a variety of interventions across psychological, social, and self-care domains that promote psychological support, which, as a result, may mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic [1,2,6,12,15,20]. Findings hint at how we could improve our response in the future by providing adequate PPEs, informing healthcare professionals about the risks they are being exposed to, improving collaboration between colleagues, and providing psychological support for those in need [1,25,27].…”

Improving of Psychological Status and Inflammatory Biomarkers During Omalizumab for Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria

“…It has been hypothesized that a low-grade inflammation may play a role in the etiology of anxiety disorders and may represent a link between anxiety disorders and cardiovascular burden. Anxiety disorders are also highly comorbid with depression, which has been associated with immune dysregulation [ 16 , 17 ]. The aim of the present study is to examine the prevalence of accompanying anxiety and depression in CSU cases and serum levels of inflammatory biomarkers, as CSR and ESR in CSU patients affected also by psychiatric disorders before and after treatment with omalizumab.…”