Serial changes in anxiety levels related to corticosteroid use: A single-center prospective study

Abstract

Patients with autoimmune diseases treated with corticosteroids sometimes display feelings of anxiety regarding corticosteroid use. In this single-center prospective study, we aimed to evaluate the serial changes in anxiety levels related to corticosteroid use in 18 patients with autoimmune diseases. The degree of anxiety toward corticosteroid use was assessed using the visual analogue scale. Comprehension of drug characteristics and use was assessed using the Likert scale. To assess the patients’ levels of depression and anxiety we used the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. These surveys were conducted immediately before the initiation of corticosteroid therapy and just before discharge from the hospital. We observed a decrease in anxiety levels related to corticosteroid use and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scores before discharge. However, we did not detect a correlation between these score changes. Additionally, we found that patients who had a poor understanding of the drugs showed little or no changes in their anxiety levels related to corticosteroid use at discharge. These results suggest that some aspects of anxiety related to corticosteroids might be groundless and substantiated by assumptions without a complete understanding of corticosteroid functioning. Patient education regarding corticosteroid use may lead to reductions in anxiety levels and improvement in quality of life of the patients.