Impact of mental health on disease activity in mastocytosis during COVID-19 pandemic

Öztop, Nida; Demir, Semra; Beyaz, Şengül; Ünal, Derya; Çolakoğlu, Bahauddin; Büyüköztürk, Suna; Gelincik, Aslı

Background Mast cell-related symptoms might be influenced by mental health status in mastocytosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the influence of mental health problems developed during the COVID-19 pandemic on the course of mastocytosis. Methods Mental health status in 60 adult patients with mastocytosis was prospectively evaluated with the total Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale (tDASS-21) and Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) in the lockdown period (LP) and the return to normal period (RTNP) during the pandemic. The disease course was assessed from emergency and outpatient medical reports, including Scoring Mastocytosis (SCORMA) index and serum baseline tryptase levels, by telephone interviews and clinical visits. Results The mean FCV-19S and median tDASS-21 scores were significantly higher in LP than RTNP (p<0.001) and there was a positive correlation between FCV-19S and tDASS-21 in LP (r=0.820, p<0.001) and in RTNP (r=0.572 p= <0.001). Disease-related symptoms including skin lesions, flushing and anaphylaxis attacks increased in 22 patients in LP, and in this group, mean FCV-19S and median tDASS-21 were higher than those without symptom exacerbation (p<0.001). During the study period, four (6.7%) patients who experienced COVID-19 recovered without any requirement for hospitalization and had not experienced symptom exacerbation. Conclusions Fear of COVID-19 can be a reason for mental health changes, including depression, anxiety and stress which may further increase mast cell-related symptoms. Therefore, psychological support is important to control the severity of mastocytosis during a pandemic.