QUALITY-OF-LIFE AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM SARCOIDOSIS

Background: Apart from the disease status, chronically ill patients ar e confronted with stressors like dependence, limitations in mobility a nd physical complaints. Data on patients with sarcoidosis, however, ar e lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the quality of lif e (QOL) and the influence of QOL factors on depressive symptoms in the se patients. Patients and methods: Sixty-four patients with histologic ally proven sarcoidosis participated in this study. Significant co-mor bidity was excluded. The Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) was used to det ermine the QOL. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Beck Depres sion Inventory (BDI), of which a subset of items measured cognitive sy mptoms, the Cognitive Depression Index (CDI), Disease status was asses sed by pulmonary function parameters (FEV,, Dco), complaints and illne ss duration. To control for a confounding cognitive style of self-repo rt, the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) was administe red. Results: The major complaint was fatigue. QOL was related to the perception of complaints, but not to the assessed disease status, In a multivariate regression 86% of the variance could be explained in BDI -scores, and 83% in CDI-scores. After controlling for demographical fa ctors, disease status and cognitive style, QOL contributed to the regr ession, explaining another 17% of variance of BDI-scores as well as CD I-scores, Problems with sleeping were associated positively with depre ssive symptoms in general (beta=0.38) and depressive cognitions only ( beta=0.32). Conclusions: In sarcoidosis, QOL factors were associated w ith depressive symptoms, These results suggest that patients with sarc oidosis may profit from attention to the psychosocial as well as the s omatic aspects of this disease.