A study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine found that 1/3 of patients after intensive care experience depression.

Moreover, this depression manifests itself in patients more physical than mental symptoms.

Every year in North America, 5 million patients go through intensive care units (ICU) - this is more than people with newly diagnosed cancer.

About 80% of patients in the intensive care unit survive. However, previous studies show that many survivors experience the so-called PICS (post-intensive care syndrome).

This syndrome includes cognitive impairment, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and physical functional disorders. All this leads to a serious deterioration in the quality of life.

To study this syndrome, the researchers analyzed a group of 821 patients with PIT who were treated in hospitals in Nashville, Tennessee,. Surviving patients were examined at 3 and 12 months after transfer from the intensive care unit to signs of depression, PTSD, physical problems, and also determined the overall quality of life.

Two-thirds of former PIT patients with depression are dominated by physical symptoms. Three months after transfer from the intensive care unit, 149 (37%) of 406 patients showed mild depression or more serious problems.

At the same time, 2/3 surviving patients with depression were dominated by physical symptoms, namely:.

• Insomnia.

• Fatigue.

• Decreased appetite.

12 months after the treatment, 1/3 of patients still showed symptoms of depression.

"We need to pay more attention to the prevention and treatment of physical, and not just mental, symptoms of depression in patients after intensive care," said lead author Dr. James Jackson.

He added: "The physical symptoms of depression are often resistant to standard antidepressant therapy, and we need to decide how best to influence these symptoms and how best to carry out complex physical and labor rehabilitation".

Patients after intensive care suffer from depression 3 times more often than the average person. Researchers have found that symptoms of depression after intensive care are more likely to occur in those who previously suffered from depression. But at the same time, at the 3rd month of the study, 30% of participants without any mental problems in the past experienced depression. At the 12th month, there were 29%.

After discharge, people experienced difficulties in their daily activities, such as shopping lists, financial management, travel planning. At the 3rd month, such problems were detected in 26% of patients, and at the 12th month - in 23% of patients.

Post-traumatic stress disorder was not as common among patients as the symptoms of depression. Only 7% of those undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

In general, the study suggests that people after intensive care are 3 times more likely to be depressed, with depression occurring 4 times more often than PTSD.

Dr. Jackson says that after the results of this work, experts should reconsider their attitude to the problem of PTSD and depression in patients after intensive therapy: "Much time and effort is spent on the prevention of post-traumatic stress disorder in such patients, but our work has revealed that this threat is not so great, like depression. Patients of all ages have a high risk of depression and functional disorders. We must do everything possible to prevent these problems from becoming permanent ".

medbe. en.