[Psychosomatic study of inhalation therapy in patients with bronchial asthma. I. Evaluation by questionnaire]

We investigated the use of metered-dose beta agonist inhalers (MDIs) by means of 17-item questionnaires from the standpoint of psychosomatic medicine in 56 subjects with bronchial asthma. The results can be summarized as follows: 1) Many asthmatics with neurotic characters used MDIs frequently; Thirteen percent of them suffered adverse effects. The number of times the inhalers were used increased in proportion to the severity and the duration of illness. Fifteen percent of the subjects used MDIs frequently because of anxiety. 2) Fifty percent of the subjects, most of them had neurotic or alexithymic characters, used MDIs without suffering from dyspnea or wheezes; the subjects who used MDIs because of anxiety increased in proportion to the duration of illness. 3) Seventy eight percent of the subjects were anxious about asthmatic attack when they did not carry any MDI; sixty two percent of the subjects, most of them had neurotic or alexithymic characters, actually experienced asthmatic attack. 4) Seventy three percent of the subjects used MDIs secretly; sixty percent of the subjects did not like to inhale in the presence of others. 5) There were some subjects who acted incorrectly on or after asthmatic attack when MDIs were not effective.