Effect of personality on alveolar ventilation in patients with chronic airways obstruction.

A study has been made of the personality of 44 patients with chronic airways obstruction (using the Eysenck Personality Inventory), this being related to the difference between their observed Pvco(2) and that predicted from their F.E.V.(1). This was designed to test the hypothesis that those patients with a lower Pvco(2) than predicted were the more extravert.The results showed a significant correlation between extraversion and the departure of Pvco(2) from predicted Those patients having a lower Pvco(2) than predicted were more extravert than those with a Pvco(2) higher than predicted. There was no correlation between neuroticism and the Pvco(2).These results support the hypothesis that the personality of a patient may play an important part in determining the alveolar ventilation found in patients with chronic airways obstruction. Patients known as "pink puffers" could more appropriately be named "pugnacious pink puffers."