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Psychological factors in asthma.
Ryan J Van Lieshout1, Glenda Macqueen
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON.
Summary
Psychological factors, including depression, significantly impact asthma outcomes by affecting symptom reporting and immune responses. Further research is needed to confirm if treating depression improves asthma control and quality of life.
Area of Science:
- Psychoneuroimmunology
- Clinical Medicine
- Behavioral Medicine
Background:
- Psychological factors are recognized as influential in asthma management, affecting treatment adherence and symptom reporting.
- Emerging evidence suggests a more complex interplay, where cognitive processes may modulate symptom perception and physiological markers of asthma.
- Asthma and major depressive disorder share common risk factors and exhibit similar biological dysregulations, including stress response and cytokine pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the intricate relationship between psychological factors, particularly depression, and asthma.
- To investigate the potential impact of central cognitive processes on asthma symptom interpretation and physiological manifestations.
- To assess the current state of research on whether treating depression improves asthma control and quality of life.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on psychological factors in asthma.
- Analysis of shared risk factors and biological dysregulation patterns between asthma and depression.
- Identification of treatment studies examining the effect of depression improvement on asthma outcomes.
Main Results:
- Psychological variables influence asthma outcomes through adherence and symptom reporting.
- Cognitive processes may affect symptom interpretation and immune/physiological markers.
- Depression is prevalent in asthma patients, negatively impacting outcomes.
Conclusions:
- The link between asthma and psychological factors is complex, involving cognitive and biological pathways.
- Depression commonly co-occurs with asthma and worsens its prognosis.
- More research is required to establish the efficacy of depression treatment for improving asthma control and quality of life.
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