Bronchial hyperresponsiveness and quality of life in asthmatics.
BACKGROUND
Quality of Life (QoL) measurements are more responsive to clinically significant changes that are not evaluated by conventional clinical measures.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) and QoL in asthmatic patients.


METHODS
394 patients underwent clinical follow-up, pulmonary function tests and the methacholine challenge test (MCHt), and completed the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ).


RESULTS
200 patients had a positive MCHt and in 194 it was negative. For all 32 items, asthmatic patients had a median value of 4.7 (4.2-5.9) compared to 5.6 (4.7-6.3) in patients with negative MCHt (p < 0.01). For physical activities, patients with positive MCHt showed a median value of 5.0 (4.5-6.0) compared to 5.7 (4.8-6.3) in patients with negative MCHt (p < 0.05). Median scores of 12 items of symptoms and 5 items of emotions were significantly lower in patients with positive MCHt [4.5 (3.7-5.8) and 5.1 (4.2-6.1)] than in patients with negative MCHt [5.5 (4.4-6.1) and 6.3 (5.2-6.9), respectively, (p < 0.01)]. For items of environmental stimuli the median score was 4.7 (3.7-5.9) in patients with positive MCHt, being significantly lower than in patients with negative MCHt [5.4 (4.2-6.4), p < 0.05]. Patients with positive MCHt had lower values of QoL than patients with negative MCHt.


CONCLUSIONS
QoL changes may be more sensitive than evaluation of BHR. The measurement of Qol may be important because it enables us to characterize patients who could be candidates eventually to a pharmacological treatment for BHR because they have an impaired QoL.
Riccioni
G
G
Respiratory Pathophysiology Center, Department of Internal Medicine and Aging, University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy. griccioni@hotmail.com
D'Orazio
N
N
Di Ilio
C
C
Della Vecchia
R
R
Ballone
E
E
Menna
V
V
Guagnano
M T
MT
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D013147:Spirometry; D014797:Vital Capacity