Comorbidity of aspirin-induced asthma, panic disorder and depression versus gender and presence of profound psychological traumas

Aim. The author examined psychiatrically a group of 100 ambulatory patients with asthma. The special interest of the study was the careful analysis of the time, context and content of different psychological traumas that the patients had throughout their lives. Methods. 100 consecutive adults with confirmed, physician-diagnosed aspirin-induced asthma underwent psychiatric interview and assessment using M.I.N.I 5.0, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Panic And Agoraphobia Scale (PAS). Psychiatric assessment was performed by an experienced liaison psychiatrist according to ICD-10 and DSM-IV diagnosis. There were 66 women (66%) and 34 men (34%). The average age was 52.7 (SD=12.3) for women and 48.8 (SD=13.0) for men. Results. In the group of 100 patients with asthma, women were a majority (66%) with higher level of anxiety and depressive symptoms than men. It may be due to specific trauma of suffering and/or death of an emotionally close person, which occurred in adulthood. This kind of trauma may have an impact on the aetiology of both panic disorder and depression. Women are more exposed to this sort of trauma due to their social role. Conclusions. It is possible, that psychological trauma affects the development, course and severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms in asthmatic patients