Psychological differences between asthmatics and patients suffering from an asthma-like condition, functional breathing disorder: a comparison between the two groups concerning personality, psychosocial and somatic parameters.

Fifteen patients with asthma were compared with thirteen patients with asthma-like symptoms but without physiological signs of asthma. This condition is termed Functional Breathing Disorder, FBD. All patients were examined with regard to relevant physiological variables, and to specific personality traits and psychosocial status by means of psychological tests and questionnaires. The results indicated that the patients suffering from FBD were more psychologically distressed and had lower quality of life than the asthma patients. Further, they suffered from a significantly greater variety of symptoms and more intense symptoms than the asthmatics. Such symptoms included sleeping disturbances and somatic symptoms such as chest pain, cold hands or feet, blurred vision. The FBD patients had significantly more problems in their social and family lives, at work and in their leisure time than the asthmatics. They were significantly more depressed, less hedonic and more hypochondriac than the asthmatics. Moreover, they trusted other people to a significantly lesser degree. The patients with FBD had been hospitalized less often than the asthmatics, but they had sought medical care more often. The present study indicates that it is important to identify patients suffering from FBD at as early a stage as possible in order to offer them proper treatment.