Patients with asthma who believe they have control of their condition are likely to report improved asthma-related health status and have a decreased risk of severe asthma attacks.
In a new study out of the University of California, San Francisco, researchers followed 865 patients (mean age 60 years) hospitalized for asthma for a median of 1.9 years after hospital discharge.
Researchers collected demographic information, asthma history, perceived asthma control, and measured emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations for asthma. Results indicated that greater perceived control was associated with better physical health status, better asthma-related quality of life, fewer days of restricted activity due to asthma, and lower asthma severity scores.
A multivariate model also showed that greater perceived control was associated with significantly decreased prospective risk of ED visits and hospitalizations for asthma. This study appears in the November issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.