14th February 2025

A 68-year old with a background of asthma, type 2 diabetes and gout presents to his GP with worsening anxiety in his everyday life.

A 68-year old with a background of asthma, type 2 diabetes and gout presents to his GP with worsening anxiety in his everyday life. His asthma has been poorly controlled of late due to his partner buying a new cat which sleeps in their bed. He worries that the cat is going to scratch his face in the night and leave litter on their carpet. He often finds himself reaching for his reliever inhaler 3-4 times during the day.

His GP organises a set of routine blood tests:

Haemoglobin 134 g/L (130-180)

White Cell Count 8.8 x10⁹/L (3.6-11)

Neutrophils 6.4 x10⁹/L (1.8-7.5)

Platelet Count 346 x10⁹/L (140-400)

Eosinophils 1.1 x10⁹/L (0.1-0.4)

CRP 3 mg/L (<5)

Which of the following is mostly likely to be contributing to his anxiety symptoms?

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.