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Video

Care Equity, Quality, and Safety

(A142) Prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms in otolaryngology patients from a low-/middle-income country

Monday, October 13, 2025
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EDT
Location: OTO EXPO, Posters
Has Audio

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Ana G. Padilla-Pérez, MD

    School of medicine
    Universidad de Los Andes / Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá
    BOGOTÁ, D.C., Cundinamarca, Colombia

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Jose D. Martes-Fritz

    School of medicine
    Universidad de Los Andes
    BOGOTA, Distrito Capital de Bogota, Colombia

  • SM

    Sergio Moreno-López, PhD

    School of medicine
    Universidad de Los Andes / UNIMEQ-ORL, Colombia

  • LP

    Lucia C. Perez-Herrera, MD

    Department of Global Public Health
    Karolinska Institutet / UNIMEQ-ORL
    Bogota, Distrito Capital de Bogota, Colombia

  • JM

    Juan Molano-Eslava, MD

    Deparment of psychiatry
    Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá / Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia

  • DP

    Daniel Peñaranda, MD

    Deparment of otolaryngology
    Stanford University, Colombia

    • Senior Author(s)

  • AP

    Augusto Peñaranda, MD

    Deparment of otolaryngology
    Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá / Universidad de Los Andes
    Bogotá, Distrito Capital de Bogota, Colombia

Disclosure(s):
Ana G. Padilla-Pérez, MD: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Jose D. Martes-Fritz: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Lucia C. Perez-Herrera, MD: No relevant relationships to disclose.


Introduction: Growing evidence suggests a possible correlation between otolaryngologic disorders and mental health disorders. However, there is limited evidence in low-/middle-income countries about the epidemiology of these diseases. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in adult patients attending to three otolaryngology referral clinics in Colombia, a low-/middle-income country.

Methods: An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted at UNIMEQ ORL and Fundación Santa Fe de Bogota between July and September 2024. Patients over 18 years old attending otorhinolaryngology consultations were included. Demographic data, medical records, and the PHQ-2 and GAD-7 questionnaires were used to evaluate depressive and anxious symptoms respectively. Prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms were calculated with corresponding 95% confidence intervals.

Results: Up to 276 participants were included, with a mean age of 51.32 years (SD=16.20); 56.9% (n=157) were female. Among the participants, 20.3% (n=56) belonged to the lowest socioeconomic level, and 30.1% (n=83) held a university degree. Most prevalent comorbidities were hypothyroidism (13.8%), depression (7.6%), diabetes (6.2%), and anxiety (4.7%). Hearing loss (38.4%) and rhinitis (25.4%) were the leading reasons for consultation. Anxiety prevalence, measured with GAD-7, was 17.75% (95% CI: 13.43-22.78) and major depressive disorder prevalence, using PHQ-2, was 12.68% (95% CI: 8.99-17.19). Women reported higher anxiety (19.1% vs 14.0%) and depression rates (12.7% vs 11.4%) compared to men.

Conclusions: The prevalence of anxiety and depression in these otolaryngology outpatients is comparable to priorly described international prevalence rates of these two conditions, with a higher frequency on females. Further studies should be conducted to explore associations between the presence and severity of different otolaryngological conditions in low-/middle-income countries.