Background: An association between psychological morbidity and asthma is well recognized and an increase in negative psychosocial factors in brittle asthma has been previously reported. Such factors, apart from affecting patient perceptions, may alter patients' self-management of their condition.
Methods: We have undertaken a case-control study on 29 well characterized brittle and non-brittle asthmatics in the West Midlands Region to assess their level of psychological morbidity, using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the living with asthma questionnaire, and their responses to changes in asthma symptoms, using the Asthma Symptom Checklist and a taped interview.
Results: Significant differences in GHQ (mean score brittle 19.5 vs non-brittle 7.2, P = 0.0002) and living with asthma (mean score brittle 1.30 vs non-brittle 1.00, P = 0.002) reinforced the presence of psychological factors in this group of patients with severe asthma. Interviews regarding responses to hypothetical asthma attacks showed that patients with brittle asthma delayed seeking medical attention more often than those with non-brittle asthma and instead preferred to self-administer beta-agonist medication. Sixteen (55.2%) of the 29 patients with brittle asthma would have delayed 7 days before seeking medical attention in a slow onset attack compared with 6/29 (20.7%) in the non-brittle group. In a fast onset attack 14 (48.3%) patients with brittle asthma would not have summoned help, despite finding it difficult to walk to the kitchen for a drink whereas in the non-brittle group 24 out of 29 (82.8%) would have summoned help. Levels of family support tended to be lower in patients with brittle asthma (mean family APGAR 7.3 vs 8.65 P = 0.09).
Conclusions: Brittle asthma is associated with greater psychological morbidity and altered strategies for coping with deteriorating asthma symptoms. Attention should be paid to the presence of such factors in the management of patients with brittle asthma.