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

Background. The author examined psychiatrically a group of 100 ambulatory patients with aspirin induced asthma (AIA). The special interest of the study was the careful analysis of the presence of panic disorder (PD) and 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, Panic And Agoraphobia Scale (PAS) and Life Inventory. Psychiatric assessment was performed by experienced liaison psychiatrist according to ICD-10 and DSM-IV diagnosis. Aspirin-induced asthma presence was assessed by pulmonologist according to NHLBI/NAEPP 2007. 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 majority (66%) with higher level of anxiety symptoms than men. It may be due to specific trauma of suffering and/or death of emotionally close person, which occurred in adulthood. This kind of trauma may have impact on the development of panic disorder. Women are more exposed to this sort of trauma due to their social role. Conclusions. It is possible, that psychological traumas affect the development, course and severity of anxiety symptoms in asthmatic patients.