Clinical and laboratory features among severe COVID⁃19 patients with anxiety and depression symptoms

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the incidence rates of anxiety and depression among the COVID-19 patients and their association with clinical features and laboratory variables. Methods: A total of 371 COVID-19 patients were recruited from Wuhan Leishenshan Hospital from Jan 20 to May 10, 2020. The anxiety and depression were assessed by using the Hosptial Anxiety and Depression Score (HAD), the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). The clinical features and laboratory variables were collected through electronic medical record. Statistical analyses were used to investigate the influence factors associated with anxiety and depression. Results: Among the 371 COVID-19 patients, the frequency of anxiety measured by HAD or SAS was 22. 91% and 24. 26%, respectively. The frequency of depression based on HAD or SDS was 16. 17% and 9. 43%, respectively. There were more female unmarried individuals in the anxiety or depression group. Anxiety or depression scores were significantly inversely correlated with the time for nucleic acid test turning negative. D-dimer and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were significantly elevated in the individuals with anxiety and depression. Statistically significant downregulations of lymphocyte counts, hemoglobin, and creatinine were found in anxiety and depression group. There was a negative association between creatinine and anxiety or depression scores. One unit upregulation of IL-6 and downregula-tion of lymphocyte counts could increase the hazard odds ratio of anxiety or depression by 10. 7% and 68. 9%, respectively. Conclusion: The COVID-19 patients with anxiety or depression symptoms had several different clinical features and laboratory findings in comparison with the patients without, which could lead to a poor prognosis of this disease. Clinicians should pay more attention to these indicators for anxiety or depression. Targeted psychological interventions should be implemented to minimize the negative impact of the psychological burden and to improve the quality life and disease outcome. © 2023 Editorial Board of Medical Journal of Wuhan University. All rights reserved.