THE INFLUENCE OF RESPIRATORY SOUNDS ON BREATHLESSNESS IN CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA - A SYMPTOM-PERCEPTION APPROACH

The discordance between the objective and subjective symptoms of asthm a has major effects on proper medication and management. In 2 studies the influence of respiratory sounds in the process of symptom percepti on underlying breathlessness was investigated in children aged 7-17 ye ars. In Experiment 1, asthmatic wheezing sounds were recorded in 16 ch ildren during histamine-induced airway obstruction. Breathlessness cor related significantly with rank order of amount of wheezing, but not w ith lung function. In Experiment 2, after standardized physical exerci se, 45 asthmatic and 45 nonasthmatic children were randomly assigned t o (a) false feedback of wheezing, (b) quiet respiratory sounds, or (c) no sound. Asthmatic children reported significantly more breathlessne ss in the Ist versus the 3rd condition. Tn conclusion many asthmatic c hildren were easily influenced by wheezing in their estimation of asth ma severity, reflected in breathlessness.