Depressão e qualidade de vida em doentes asmáticos: uma revisão narrativa da literatura

Abstract

Asthma is a heterogeneous respiratory disease characterized by chronic airway inflammation that affects more than 300 million people worldwide and approximately 700 thousand people in Portugal. Even though the connection between chronic diseases and mental health disorders is well known, nowadays this link is still not often taken into account in the clinical approach of the asthmatic patient. This narrative literature review explores the most up-to-date evidence that links two key mental health aspects, depression and quality of life, to asthma. This review also addresses the main therapeutic interventions that have shown promise in clinical indicators of depression and quality of life applied to asthmatic patients, including antidepressant drugs, cognitive-behavioural therapy, physical exercise and respiratory training.