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Related Experiment Videos

Paradoxical breathlessness in asthma.

S Rietveld1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands. rietveld@psy.uva.nl

Behaviour Research and Therapy
|December 5, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Asthma patients experience breathlessness differently than healthy individuals, reporting more intense sensations without clear correlation to airway obstruction severity. This suggests a changed perception of airflow limitation in asthma.

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Area of Science:

  • Respiratory Medicine
  • Psychophysiology

Background:

  • Breathlessness is a key symptom in asthma, but its relationship with airway obstruction is complex.
  • Previous research suggests psychological factors influence breathlessness perception.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between externally controlled airflow obstruction and breathlessness in adolescents with asthma.
  • To determine if situational, attentional, and emotional factors influence this relationship.

Main Methods:

  • Adolescents with stable asthma and healthy controls (n=50) underwent controlled airflow obstruction at varying intensities.
  • Participants continuously reported breathlessness on a 10-point scale.
  • Lung function and anxiety levels were assessed.

Main Results:

  • Asthma patients reported significantly more breathlessness, but undifferentially across obstruction levels (paradoxical response).
  • Healthy controls showed a linear relationship between obstruction and breathlessness.
  • Breathlessness did not correlate with asthma severity, lung function, or anxiety in asthma patients.

Conclusions:

  • The perception of airflow obstruction is altered in asthma patients, leading to paradoxical breathlessness responses.
  • This altered meaning of obstruction may explain the disconnect between objective measures and subjective symptoms.
  • Psychological and contextual factors may not fully account for these paradoxical responses in asthma.

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