Asthma symptoms: influence of personality versus clinical status

The hypothesis that symptom-reporting in asthmatics does not necessarily co rrespond with clinical status, but is related to negative affectivity was i nvestigated, One hundred and sixteen asthmatic patients filled out the Asthma Symptom Ch ecklist (ASC), the Negative Emotionality Scale (NEM), and the McMaster-Asth ma Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (AQLQ). The patients were grouped as eithe r hospitalized, outpatient previously hospitalized or outpatient not previo usly hospitalized for asthma, Lung function data and Asthma Severity Scores (ASS) were also collected. The hospitalized group was retested after 3 months. The hospitalized group had lower AQLQ scores, higher ASS scores and worse lung function than both outpatient groups. However, the hospitalized group and the outpatients prev iously hospitalized group had higher ASC scores and NEM scores than the out patients not previously hospitalized group. After discharge, when the hospi talized group had become clinically stable, their ASC and NEM scores remain ed comparable to those of the outpatient previously hospitalized group. Symptom-reporting in asthmatics is not necessarily in accordance with clini cal status, but mag be directly or indirectly mediated by personality, such as negative affectivity.