Die Psyche atmet mit

In addition to significant physical limitations, individuals with interstitial lung diseases (ILD) often experience reduced quality of life and psychological comorbidities.

In the routine clinical practice psychological comorbidities, such as depression and anxiety in patients with ILD receive less attention, despite an increase in research over the past decade. This article aims to provide an overview of the prevalence, manifestation and relationship of these psychological conditions with the disease process.

A literature review was conducted to identify studies on depression and anxiety in ILD through a comprehensive search of the PubMed electronic database. The search was limited to articles published in English from 2008 to 2023.

The prevalence of psychological comorbidities among ILD patients ranges from 14.3% to 31.7% for moderate to severe symptoms of depression and from 17.6% to 31% for moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety. These conditions can play a complex role in the course of the disease and negatively impact the quality of life.

The consideration of anxiety and depression in the treatment of ILD can be clinically beneficial. The complex interactions involved suggest that further research is needed.