Mood swings in patients with Crohn's disease: incidence and associated factors.

OBJECTIVE To assess the incidence of mood swings (MS) and possible associated factors in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). METHODS Prospective longitudinal study of 50 patients (60% females; mean age 40.6 years) with a diagnosis of CD over a 16-month follow-up. Clinical activity was assessed by the CD activity index. Psychological status self-report tools (Beck Depression Inventory and the anxiety subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) were used for mood disorder diagnosis. The tools were applied at baseline and at four-month intervals thereafter. RESULTS The inflammatory phenotype was the most common (86%); 36% had a previous history of surgery related to CD; 82% were in clinical remission at baseline. MS occurred in 58% of patients; 28% had progression of depression and/or anxiety symptoms from baseline normal mood, and 30% had baseline depressive and/or anxious mood normalized. In 38% of patients with MS, no change in the disease clinical activity could be found (p = 0.015), whereas 20% had a change in CD activity. Female gender and absence of previous surgery related to CD complications were associated with higher MS incidence (p = 0.04 for both). CONCLUSION In this study, a high MS incidence (58%) was found in patients with CD. Female gender and absence of previous surgery from CD complications were associated with a higher MS incidence. Periodic psychological assessment could be useful to detect and approach MS in patients with CD.