Relation between personality and ventilatory response to carbon dioxide in normal subjects: a role in asthma?

Ventilatory response to carbon dioxide, as an index of respiratory centre sensitivity, was measured in 50 normal subjects. Their personality was documented in terms of extraversion and neuroticism scores by the Eysenck Personality Inventory. A significant correlation was found between extraversion score and ventilatory response to carbon dioxide in women (P < 0.005) but not in men. No correlation was found between ventilatory responsiveness and neuroticism score in either sex. It is suggested that the degree of extraversion may play some part in determining the level of ventilation adopted, and hence of arterial carbon dioxide tension, if and when women develop lung disease such as asthma.