Depressive symptoms in relation to physical functioning in pulmonary hypertension

Objective To investigate the association between depressive symptoms and physical functioning in pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients. Methods Fifty-two patients diagnosed with precapillary or postcapillary PH completed self-report questionnaires of depressive symptoms and physical functioning. Cardiac catheterization reports of patients were reviewed for hemodynamic variables. Results Physical functioning was significantly associated with depressive symptoms on bivariate analysis. On multivariate analysis, after controlling for demographic and hemodynamic variables, depressive symptoms accounted for 9% of variance in physical functioning. Conclusion The association of depressive symptoms with decreased physical functioning in PH patients indicates the need for longitudinal research regarding the possible effect of depression on disease outcomes in this population.