Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Psychiatry. Oct 19, 2026; 16(10): 118743
Published online Oct 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.118743
Published online Oct 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.118743
Risk factors for anxiety and depression in elderly frail patients based on bedside ultrasound multimodal assessment
Dan-Yang Wang, Department of Ultrasound, Hejian Branch of Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou 061000, Hebei Province, China
Chen-Hui Fu, Ultrasound Medical Center, Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou 061000, Hebei Province, China
Meng-Mei Ma, Yu Han, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Hejian Branch of Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou 061000, Hebei Province, China
Lian-Chao Men, Department of Emergency Medicine, Hejian Branch of Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou 061000, Hebei Province, China
Bin Huang, Party Committee, Hejian Branch of Cangzhou Central Hospital, Cangzhou 061000, Hebei Province, China
Author contributions: Wang DY was responsible for study design, data analysis, and manuscript writing; Fu CH conducted ultrasound examinations and provided technical guidance; Ma MM and Men LC participated in clinical data collection and organization; Huang B coordinated the project; Han Y supervised the study and approved the final manuscript; all authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: The authors confirm that Kimi 2.6 (developed by Moonshot AI) was used solely for language polishing to improve the clarity and readability of the answering-reviewers document. No AI tool was used to generate any portion of the main text, nor was it involved in the design of the study, interpretation of results, or the creation of any images in the manuscript. All scientific content, data analysis, and conclusions presented herein remain solely the work of the authors.
Supported by the Hebei Provincial Medical Scientific Research Program, No. 20251578.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Cangzhou Central Hospital (No. 2024-315-02). The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
Informed consent statement: Due to the retrospective design of the study and the use of anonymized clinical data, the requirement for written informed consent was waived by the Ethics Committee of Cangzhou Central Hospital (No. 2024-315-02).
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
Data sharing statement: The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Lian-Chao Men, Department of Emergency Medicine, Hejian Branch of Cangzhou Central Hospital, No. 32 Jingkai South Street, Cangzhou 061000, Hebei Province, China. 17733726859@163.com
Received: February 3, 2026
Revised: March 10, 2026
Accepted: August 25, 2026
Published online: October 19, 2026
Processing time: 249 Days and 0.5 Hours
Revised: March 10, 2026
Accepted: August 25, 2026
Published online: October 19, 2026
Processing time: 249 Days and 0.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Bedside ultrasound provides fast, non-invasive evaluation for multisystem dysfunction in elderly frail patients. The study shows that diaphragm dysfunction and sarcopenia are independently predictive of anxiety and depression, with a demonstrated dose-response relationship that extends to pulmonary abnormalities diagnosed at the bedside by multimodal ultrasound. The use of early ultrasound-based risk stratification may allow for earlier psychosocial screening and targeted interventions in this high-risk population.