Li JB, Rong W. Comorbid depression and autonomic dysfunction reduce lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. World J Psychiatry 2025; 15(12): 111058 [PMID: 41357935 DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i12.111058]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Jiang-Bo Li, Associate Professor, Department of Psychosomatic, Jianyang People’s Hospital, No. 180 Hospital Road, Jianyang 641400, Sichuan Province, China. 1015950973@qq.com
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Dec 19, 2025 (publication date) through Dec 9, 2025
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World Journal of Psychiatry
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Li JB, Rong W. Comorbid depression and autonomic dysfunction reduce lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. World J Psychiatry 2025; 15(12): 111058 [PMID: 41357935 DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i12.111058]
World J Psychiatry. Dec 19, 2025; 15(12): 111058 Published online Dec 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i12.111058
Comorbid depression and autonomic dysfunction reduce lung function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Jiang-Bo Li, Wei Rong
Jiang-Bo Li, Department of Psychosomatic, Jianyang People’s Hospital, Jianyang 641400, Sichuan Province, China
Wei Rong, Department of Clinical Psychology, Wuhu Hospital Affiliated to East China Normal University, Wuhu 241000, Anhui Province, China
Co-first authors: Jiang-Bo Li and Wei Rong.
Author contributions: Li JB and Rong W designed the study and wrote the manuscript. Li JB and Rong W contributed equally to this work and are co-first authors of this manuscript. All authors have approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jiang-Bo Li, Associate Professor, Department of Psychosomatic, Jianyang People’s Hospital, No. 180 Hospital Road, Jianyang 641400, Sichuan Province, China. 1015950973@qq.com
Received: June 23, 2025 Revised: July 20, 2025 Accepted: September 16, 2025 Published online: December 19, 2025 Processing time: 158 Days and 18.4 Hours
Abstract
The high comorbidity rates of depression and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have garnered widespread attention. As a refractory disease, its long-term stress effects exacerbate the coexistence of depression. Depression is linked to a decline in lung function in patients with COPD through reduced heart rate variability, increased inflammatory cytokines, dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and the interplay of various biological and psychological factors. Sole reliance on biomedical treatment cannot fully counteract these negative effects, which are detrimental to improving patients’ quality of life and long-term prognosis. Antidepressant medications and traditional Chinese medicine combined with conventional COPD therapy, psychotherapy (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness training), and lifestyle adjustments (e.g., yoga, qigong, or walking) can not only alleviate depression and compensate for the limitations of biomedical approaches but also help improve heart rate variability and lung function. In this editorial, we suggest that clinicians, when prescribing antidepressants, must carefully weigh the benefit-risk ratio based on the patient’s specific physical condition to ensure precise medication use.
Core Tip: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent airflow limitation and often accompanied by multiple comorbidities, with depression being particularly prevalent. Through bidirectional psychophysiological mechanisms, depression adversely affects both the quality of life and pulmonary function in patients with COPD. Underestimating this impact may significantly compromise the treatment efficacy. Establishing multidisciplinary teams to develop integrated treatment plans and optimize comprehensive COPD management may improve psychosomatic outcomes, quality of life, and prognosis in patients with COPD and comorbid depression.
