Study of psychological aspects in asthma an Egyptian experience

ABSTRACT

The problem of psychologic trouble in asthma is frequently overlooked, and needs to be assessed. For this purpose 40 asthmatic patients were investigated. A psychological trouble was found to be present in 55% of them; mostly in the form of anxiety/neurosis [84.6%]. Its proper conventional management, when added to the traditional phamacotherapy, stepped up the outcome of treatment in the particular case The success, interpreted as relief and control parameters; combined together in the treatment which means controlled or partially controlled, reached 81.8% in these patients. The incidence of "difficult to treat" or uncontrolled cases dropped from 36.4% to 18.2%, when such cases received added psychotherapy. Even the comparison of the overall relief and control of patients revealed significant better outcome, when the proper treatment was applied to either patients with or without psychological trouble; figures being 81.8% and 77.7%, respectively. As a pilot study, this presentation calls for more elaborate study on the subject, with special attention to whether the relationship is a cause and effect one and/or a mere association