Document Detail


Patients' perception of asthma severity.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  17646093     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
OBJECTIVES: To identify variables patients use to determine the severity of their asthma, the perceived severity (PS), using a fuzzy decision-making analysis (FDMA). To compare these variables with those involved in the assessment of asthma severity according to the global initiative for asthma (GINA) guidelines, the objective severity (OS). PATIENTS: Outpatients (51 men, 62 women), aged (m+/-SD) 42.9+/-16.3 years with (% patients) mild intermittent (6.2), mild persistent (15.9), moderate (65.5) and severe (12.4) asthma. DESIGN: Cross sectional, observational study. METHODS: Both OS (rated by doctors) and PS (rated by patients) were rated as mild intermittent, mild persistent, moderate, or severe. Variables involved in OS assessment, variables self-assessed by patients (dyspnea, perceived treatment efficacy, asthma-related quality of life questionnaire [AQLQ]), patients' sociodemographic characteristics, and asthma characteristics, were evaluated with questionnaires. These variables were pooled, and considered as potential variables patients might use to determine their PS. They were tested against the PS measurement using FDMA. This identified variables patients actually used to determine PS. RESULTS: On the day of consultation, 68.1% of patients classed their asthma as mild intermittent or mild persistent, 23.9% as moderate persistent, and 8.0% as severe persistent. There was a significant discrepancy (p<0.01) between PS and OS with a clear patient tendency to underestimate asthma severity as compared to OS. Patients determined PS level according to variables assessing their asthma perception, i.e., AQLQ measures and dyspnea, but not variables involved in OS assessment, such as symptom frequency or knowledge of their peak flow rates. Duration of asthma and treatment characteristics were also involved. CONCLUSION: FDMA identified variables patients used to determine PS. It highlighted a discrepancy between patients' and doctors' perceptions of asthma severity, suggesting that assessment of asthma severity should consider both patients' and doctors' perceptions of the disease and includes an AQLQ measure.
Authors:
Alain Lurie; Christophe Marsala; Sarah Hartley; Bernadette Bouchon-Meunier; Daniel Dusser
Related Documents :
18385913 - Comparison of tiotropium bromide and combined ipratropium/salbutamol for the treatment ...
8553303 - Significant differences in flow standardised breath sound spectra in patients with chro...
8195823 - Oculomotor abnormalities and mri findings in idiopathic cerebellar ataxia.
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Multicenter Study; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't     Date:  2007-07-23
Journal Detail:
Title:  Respiratory medicine     Volume:  101     ISSN:  0954-6111     ISO Abbreviation:  Respir Med     Publication Date:  2007 Oct 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2007-09-07     Completed Date:  2008-02-21     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  8908438     Medline TA:  Respir Med     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  2145-52     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Service de Pneumologie, Hôpital Cochin, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, 27 rue du Faubourg Saint-Jacques, F-75679 Paris Cedex 14, France. alain.lurie@laposte.net
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format     Download EndNote     Download BibTex
MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Anti-Asthmatic Agents / therapeutic use
Asthma / psychology*
Attitude to Health
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dyspnea / psychology*
Female
Fuzzy Logic
Humans
Male
Perception / physiology*
Predictive Value of Tests
Quality of Life
Questionnaires
Respiratory Function Tests / methods
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Anti-Asthmatic Agents

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


Previous Document:  The role of solution calorimetry in investigating controlled-release processes from polymeric drug d...
Next Document:  Emerging roles of alkali cation/proton exchangers in organellar homeostasis.