What is it about?
CAD is a rare blood disorder in which red blood cells are destroyed, leading to anemia, fatigue and weakness. Anemia is a condition where a lack of red blood cells in the body results in reduced oxygen flow to the body's organs, which can have serious clinical consequences. For the first time, we have shown that patients with CAD are more likely to have anxiety and depression than those without CAD.
Featured Image
Photo by Road Trip with Raj on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Patients with other types of anemia are more likely to develop anxiety and depression that affects their quality of life, but to date no studies had investigated this in patients with CAD. Our study used anonymous electronic medical records from the United States. A group of CAD patients was compared to a group of individuals without CAD, matched for age, sex, race, and region of residence. Patients with CAD were more likely to have anxiety and depression than those without CAD. They also had greater healthcare use, including increased use of prescription medication or therapy. Overall, the findings suggest that the burden experienced by patients with CAD may impact their overall mental health, in addition to their physical health and quality of life.
Perspectives
Through this article we are helping to raise awareness of CAD as a rare blood disorder, and the ways in which it can affect patients. It highlights the importance of assessing disease burden, mental health and quality of life when treating patients with chronic physical conditions.
Catherine Broome
Georgetown University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Medically-attended anxiety and depression is increased among newly diagnosed patients with cold agglutinin disease: Analysis of an integrated claim-clinical cohort in the United States, PLoS ONE, December 2022, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276617.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
