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Anxiety and depression in patients with chronic urticaria and generalized pruritus
Author(s) -
LSHEEHANDARE R.A.,
HENDERSON M.J.,
A.COTTERILL J.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
british journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.304
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1365-2133
pISSN - 0007-0963
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2133.1990.tb04195.x
Subject(s) - medicine , depression (economics) , anxiety , beck depression inventory , incidence (geometry) , population , depressive symptoms , dermatology , psychiatry , physics , environmental health , optics , economics , macroeconomics
SUMMARY Thirty‐four dermatology out‐patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria and 34 with idiopathic generalized pruritus were investigated using standardized self‐assessment psychological questionnaires to determine the incidence of significant symptoms of depression and anxiety. These patients were compared with age‐ and sex‐matched but otherwise unselected general dermatology out‐patients. Using the Beck depression inventory, significantly more patients with generalized pruritus (32·4%) had depressive symptomatology (score > 14) than controls (13·2%), P < 0·05). Although more patients with chronic urticaria bad depressive symptomatology (14·7%) than controls (4.4%), the difference was not statistically significant. Using the Speilberger state‐trait anxiety inventory there were no significant differences between the patients with pruritus or urticaria and their controls with respect to state or trait anxiety scores above the upper 90%, probability limit for the general population. Thus, significant depression may be expected in a substantial proportion of patients witb idiopathic generalized pruritus but in a relatively small proportion of those with chronic urticaria.