Rationale: Up to one-third of patients assessed for occupational asthma (OA) do not receive a diagnosis of OA or any other medical disorder. Although several differential diagnoses are considered (e.g., rhinitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), psychiatric disorders (many with somatic complaints that mimic asthma) are rarely considered or assessed.
Objectives: To assess the prevalence of psychiatric disorders (mood and anxiety disorders and hypochondriasis) in patients suspected of having OA, and whether psychiatric morbidity increases the risk of not receiving any medical diagnosis.
Methods: A total of 219 consecutive patients (57% male; mean age, 41.8 ± 11.1 yr) underwent sociodemographic and medical history interviews on the control or specific inhalation testing day of their OA evaluation. The Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders was used to assess mood and anxiety disorders, and the Whiteley Hypochondriasis Index was used to assess hypochondriasis.
Measurements And Main Results: A total of 26% (n = 50) of patients had OA; 25% (n = 48) had asthma or work-exacerbated asthma; 14% (n = 28) had another inflammatory disorder; 13% (n = 26) had a noninflammatory disorder; and 22% (n = 44) did not receive any medical diagnosis. A total of 34% (n = 67) of patients had a psychiatric disorder: mood and anxiety disorders affected 29% (n = 57) and 24% (n = 46) of the sample, respectively, and 7% (n = 12) had scores on the Whiteley Hypochondriasis Index indicating hypochondriasis. Hypochondriasis, but not mood or anxiety disorders, was associated with an increased risk of not receiving any medical diagnosis (adjusted odds ratio, 3.92; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-13.05; P = 0.026).
Conclusions: Psychiatric morbidity is common in this population, and hypochondriasis may account for a significant proportion of the "undiagnosable" cases of patients who present for evaluation of OA.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1164/rccm.201211-2076OC | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Interpersonal space is regulated carefully and updated dynamically during social interactions to maintain comfort. We investigated the naturalistic processing of interpersonal distance in real time and space using a powerful implicit neurophysiological measure of attentional engagement. In a sample of 37 young adults recruited at a UK university, we found greater EEG alpha band suppression when a person occupies or moves into near personal space than for a person occupying or moving into public space.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExploring the relationship between personality traits, social appearance anxiety, and quality of life among nursing students.
BMC Nurs
January 2025
Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
Background: Nursing students represent a unique group that faces specific stressors. One of these stressors is social appearance anxiety, which can adversely affect the quality of life. Personality traits are strong predictors of coping with stress and anxiety.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMeta-analysis of prospective longitudinal cohort studies on the impact of childhood traumas on anxiety disorders.
J Affect Disord
January 2025
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200120, China; Pudong New Area Mental Health Centre Affiliated to Tongji University, Shanghai 200124, China.
Objects: Childhood trauma is an early pathogenic factor that increases individuals' vulnerability to mental illness. This systematic review aims to explore the evidence regarding the association between childhood trauma and the subsequent occurrence of anxiety disorders.
Methods: Embase, Scopus, and PubMed databases were searched for peer-reviewed longitudinal cohort studies published in English between January 1, 1995, and November 15, 2022.
Immune cells mediated the causal relationship between the gut microbiota and anxiety disorders: A Mendelian randomization study.
J Affect Disord
January 2025
Department of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China. Electronic address:
Background: Studies have demonstrated that the gut microbiome-immune system-brain axis plays an important role in neurological disorders. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that the gut microbiota influences the occurrence and progression of anxiety disorders, with potential involvement of immune cells. We aimed to investigate the causal impact of gut microbiota on anxiety disorders and identify potential immune cell mediators.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRationale: Patients who experience seizures, including PNES, are usually advised to discontinue driving, or have their driving privileges revoked until a determined period of seizure-freedom is achieved. In this retrospective study, patients with PNES who requested driving privileges or reported having resumed driving were compared to those who did not on measures of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and cognitive flexibility/motor speed.
Methods: DiagnosisofPNESwasconfirmedwithvideo-EEG.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!