Alexithymia and Psychopathology in Patients Suffering From Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Arising Differences and Correlations to Tailoring Therapeutic Strategies

Bibliographic Data

ID15526670
AuthorsCaterina Viganò (0000-0001-7937-1266, Luigi Sacco Hospital, corresponding author), Caterina A Viganò, Marta M Beltrami (University of Milan), Monica Bosi (ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco), Monica F Bosi, Riccardo Zanello (Luigi Sacco Hospital), Marta Valtorta (Luigi Sacco Hospital), Giovanni Maconi (0000-0003-0810-4026, University of Milan)
Year2018
Volume9
Pages324-324
Publication date2018-08-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1664-0640 • E-ISSN: 1664-0640
PublisherFrontiers Media (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00324
PMID30127753
OpenAlexW2885066358
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited75

Comorbidity with anxiety or depression is common in patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) as Crohn Disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC). Data suggest that the cognitive construct of alexithymia has high prevalence in people suffering from anxiety and mood disorders and even in people with IBD. Most studies have investigated mainly anxiety and depression, considering IBD population as a homogeneous group of patients. Little evidence shows the impact of alexithymia on the course of IBD. We evaluated a broad spectrum of psychopathological symptoms and alexithymia levels in a group of outpatients affected by IBD in clinical remission, comparing CD and UC and investigating the relationship with clinical and socio-demographic variables. One hundred and seventy IBD outpatients were screened by using the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), the Self-report Symptom Inventory-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). A high prevalence of anxious and depressive symptoms (42.35 and 25.8% respectively) together with alexithymia (31.76%) was confirmed. CD patients experienced high levels of depression (HADS Depression 35.2% p = 0.034; SCL-90-R mean 1.39 p p p p p p p = 0.001), somatisation (SCL-90-R rs = 0.229 p = 0.005), obsessive-compulsive symptoms (SCL-90-R rs = 0.362 p p = 0.001). Furthermore, alexithymia is associated with a delay of diagnosis of IBD, poly-therapies and greater IBD extension. Older age, female gender, greater IBD extension, surgery, and delay of diagnosis seem to be related to a high prevalence of psychopathological symptoms such as anxiety, depression, somatisation, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Psychopathological symptoms and high levels of alexithymia are frequent in IBD patients and seem to be related to a high risk of poor clinical outcome. CD patients could be considered at higher risk of mental comorbidity. A more comprehensive psychiatric assessment, including alexithymia, and an integrated treatment of underlying conditions, must be taken into account in order to improve the global prognosis of the disease

Alexithymia · Anxiety · Comorbidity · Depression (economics · Disease · Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale · Mood · Mood disorders · Population · Psychiatry · Psychopathology · Toronto Alexithymia Scale · Ulcerative colitis · Clinical Psychology · Health, psychology, and well-being · Inflammatory Bowel Disease · Medicine · Microscopic Colitis · Psychology · Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments · Gastroenterology · Internal Medicine

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