Anxiety in adolescents with severe asthma and response to treatment

Asthma is a complex and multifactorial disorder. Actually, anxiety may affect asthma, mainly concerning frequent exacerbations, pharmacoeconomic costs, and uncontrolled asthma. On the basis of this background, we tested the hypothesis that anxiety could affect severe asthma outcomes in asthmatic adolescents. Therefore, a longitudinal real-world study included 40 consecutive adolescents (22 males, 18 females, mean age 14.18 ± 1.97 years) with severe asthma and visited for the first time at a third-level pediatric clinic. The current study showed that anxiety is common in adolescents with severe asthma as about 60% of them was anxious. In addition, anxiety was associated with frequent use of bronchodilators on demand. This outcome may conceivably depend on the anxiety trait. Interestingly, depression was present only in anxious adolescents: this outcome underlines the close link between emotional disorders. Therefore, emotional aspect should be considered in the adolescent asthma management in clinical practice. (www.actabiomedica.it)