1 in 3 patients with respiratory, sleep disorders have anxiety

Anxiety is highly prevalent among patients with respiratory and sleep disorders, with a prevalence estimate of about 30 percent, according to the results of a meta-analysis.

Researchers searched multiple online databases for studies wherein the prevalence of anxiety in adult (≥16 years) respiratory and sleep medicine outpatients was assessed. Two researchers screened and extracted data from the studies.

A total of 116 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Of the studies, 89 were cross-sectional, 15 were cohort, four were prospective, four were randomized controlled, two were retrospective, one was nonrandomized interventional, and one was case-control. The population comprised 36,340 participants across 40 countries, with a mean age of 51.43 years and 42.40 percent being female participants.

Anxiety was evaluated using various self-report questionnaires, structured interviews, and/or patient records across the studies. Meta-analyses were performed using random-effects models.

Of the participants, 10,679 had anxiety, with the pooled prevalence being 30.3 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 27.9–32.9).

Subgroup analysis showed that the prevalence of anxiety differed by the type of condition. Specifically, the prevalence was highest among outpatients with pulmonary tuberculosis (43.1 percent) and lowest among COVID-19 outpatients (23.4 percent). No significant difference was found in subgroups defined by anxiety types, country, or age.

Finally, female sex and the use of self-report measures were associated with significantly higher anxiety estimates.

The findings highlight the importance of anxiety identification and management in the present population.