Pilot trial of light therapy for depression in hospitalized patients with cystic fibrosis

- We treated 30 hospitalized cystic fibrosis (CF) patients with bright light therapy.
- Bright light therapy has never been studied in CF.
- Depressive symptoms were present in 80% of patients and improved with light therapy.
- Light therapy improved quality of life measures not affected by hospitalization alone.
- Hospital length of stay was reduced compared to a historical cohort.

BackgroundDepression is common in cystic fibrosis (CF) and linked with worse outcomes during hospitalization. Bright-light therapy during hospitalizations augments antidepressant regimens and reduces length of stay (LOS) in depressed non-CF patients, but has not been examined in CFMethodsThirty subjects used a light box emitting 10,000 lx for 30 min each day for 7 straight days following hospital admission for pulmonary exacerbation. Depressive symptom severity (QIDS-C) and quality of life factors (CFQ-R) were recorded pre/post light therapy.ResultsEighty percent of subjects had at least mild depressive symptoms upon admission. Hospitalized CF patients had a significantly lower mean LOS of 11.0±3.6 days compared to a historical cohort from the year prior (13.3±4.4 days, p value=0.038). There was a significant decrease in depressive symptoms for all subjects receiving light therapy (p value<0.0001). There was no relation between depressive symptoms and lung function or vitamin D. Six out of twelve quality of life indicators improved with light therapy including the domains of vitality, emotion, and health perceptions. There were no adverse events reported.LimitationsAs a pilot study, the design was limited by a lack of a control group and possible confounding effects of hospitalization treatment on systemic symptoms.ConclusionsLight therapy was well tolerated by hospitalized CF patients and resulted in improved depressive symptoms and quality of life. Light therapy was associated with a reduced length of stay. Large, randomized trials of light therapy may be indicated for hospitalized CF patients.