Among patients with cancer, additional physical comorbidities were associated with a higher risk of experiencing psychological distress. The result comes from a Psycho-Oncology analysis of 2017 data from the Spanish National Health Survey.
The analysis included 484 patients who reported a cancer diagnosis and 484 similar controls without a history of cancer. Compared with controls, patients with cancer reported increased physical comorbidities, including chronic back pain, asthma, bronchitis bronchitis, urinary instability, prostate problems, and kidney problems.
They also reported higher psychological distress and were more likely to have consulted a health care professional in the past year.
Thirty percent of cancer patients reported severe psychological anxiety but only 10% had consulted a professional. All additional physical comorbidity was associated with a 9% higher odds that cancer patients would report having high psychological distress and a 21% higher odds that they would have consulted a health care professional mind.
Comorbidities often influence the choice and management of cancer treatment. These findings suggest that they may also be important for the mental health of patients in the months following diagnosis. “
Dafina Petrova, PhD, First Author Study, Andalusian School of Public Health