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Alexithymia: a relevant psychological variable in near-fatal asthma
1Departament de Pneumologia, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, [corrected] Spain. jserrano@separ.es
The European Respiratory Journal
|March 31, 2006
Summary
Alexithymia, difficulty recognizing emotions, is more common in near-fatal asthma patients. This trait is linked to more severe asthma exacerbations and poorer outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Pulmonology
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Alexithymia involves difficulty perceiving/expressing emotions and sensations.
- This can lead asthmatics to underestimate dyspnea severity, increasing near-fatal asthma (NFA) risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- Determine alexithymia prevalence in NFA patients.
- Analyze clinical characteristics of NFA patients with alexithymia.
Main Methods:
- Multicentric prospective observational study.
- Toronto Alexithymia Scale used for assessment.
- 179 NFA patients and 40 controls from 33 Spanish hospitals.
Main Results:
- Alexithymia prevalence was higher in NFA patients (36%) vs. controls (13%).
- NFA patients with alexithymia were older, had lower education, higher psychiatric morbidity, and more severe asthma.
- Alexithymia, severe asthma, and low education independently predicted recurrent severe exacerbations.
Conclusions:
- Alexithymia is more frequent in near-fatal asthma.
- Alexithymia is associated with recurrent severe asthma exacerbations.