Beneficial Impact of Vaccination Against SARS-CoV-2 on the Mental Health of IPF Patients

Highlights: During the recent pandemic, IPF patients experienced an additional weight of stress related to their higher risk of being affected by severe COVID-19, the fear of forthcoming death, and the feeling of social isolation, especially during the initial phases of early lockdown implementation. Our study prospectively assessed the impact of vaccination against COVID-19 on mental health of IPF patients and revealed a significant decrease in anxiety and depression scores one month after the first dose of vaccines in IPF patients. It seems that vaccination offered an additional beneficial effect on the mental health of IPF patients by alleviating the perception of depression and anxiety. What are the main findings? A higher Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score was detected before vaccination against COVID-19. A significant decrease in both anxiety and depression scores one month after the first dose of vaccines in IPF patients was found. What is the implication of the main finding? It seems that vaccination also offered an additional beneficial effect on depression and anxiety in IPF patients. Vaccination against SARS-COV-2 offered at least a beneficial effect on the inception of patients’ mental health, an important issue in patients’ well-being and quality of life, in the course of IPF. Background: Depression and anxiety represent significant comorbidities in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients, affecting their quality of life. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an uneven impact on global mental health. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) constitutes a validated tool to identify anxiety disorders and depression. The aim of this multicentre study was to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 vaccination on depression and anxiety in IPF patients. Methods: Consecutive IPF patients (median 73.5 years) who are regularly followed-up with were included in the study. Demographics, functional, and clinical were recorded. The HADS score was calculated before and one month after vaccination against COVID-19 in all participants. A Wilcoxon signed ranks test was conducted. Results: A total of 180 IPF patients (median 73.5 years) were included in the study. Among them, 145 patients (81%) received antifibrotic treatment. A significant reduction in HADS, both in anxiety and depression scales, was observed one month after vaccination against SARS-COV-2), independent of age, smoking, lung function impairment, and prior history of depression (p < 0.01). Conclusions: A higher Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score was detected before vaccination against COVID-19. It seems that vaccination also offered a beneficial effect on depression and anxiety in IPF patients, independent of age, smoking, lung function impairment, and prior history of depression.