Descriptors of breathlessness in children with persistent asthma

Andrew Harver; Richard M Schwartzstein; Harry Kotses; C Thomas Humphries; Karen B Schmaling; Melanie Lee Mullin

doi:10.1378/chest.10-2388

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Descriptors of breathlessness in children with persistent asthma

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Descriptors of breathlessness in children with persistent asthma

Andrew Harver, Richard M Schwartzstein, Harry Kotses, C Thomas Humphries, Karen B Schmaling and Melanie Lee Mullin

Chest, Vol.139(4), pp.832-838

04/2011

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.10-2388

Handle:

https://hdl.handle.net/2376/107522

PMCID: PMC3071274

PMID: 21183610

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https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.10-2388View

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Abstract

Severity of Illness Index

Spirometry

Prognosis

Asthma - physiopathology

Follow-Up Studies

Humans

Male

Dyspnea - etiology

Dyspnea - physiopathology

Asthma - complications

Adolescent

Female

Surveys and Questionnaires

Retrospective Studies

Respiration

Child

In adult patients, the consistent use of language to describe dyspnea enhances patient-provider communication and contributes to diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. The objective of this research was to determine whether pediatric patients similarly display consistency in the language used to describe "uncomfortable awareness of breathing." One hundred children between the ages of 8 and 15 years with moderate to severe persistent asthma enrolled in an asthma education research program completed questionnaires regarding descriptors of asthma on each of two occasions. In addition to the breathlessness questionnaires, demographic information, self-reported asthma severity, ED visits, missed school days, anthropometrics, and spirometry were obtained for each participant. Children were reliable in their choice of the descriptors that they applied to their breathing discomfort across two occasions, and they selected the same descriptors that were used by adults with asthma in previous studies. Children with greater self-reported asthma severity endorsed more descriptors to characterize breathing discomfort than did children with less severe asthma, but no differences were found among children based on demographic or anthropometric variables. Children with moderate to severe persistent asthma are reliable in their choice of descriptors of breathlessness. Knowledge of their experience of symptoms may be helpful clinically in the assessment and management of asthma.

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Details

Title: Descriptors of breathlessness in children with persistent asthma
Creators: Andrew Harver - Department of Public Health Sciences, University of North Carolina Charlotte, Charlotte, NC. Electronic address: arharver@uncc.edu
Richard M Schwartzstein - Harvard Medical School and Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
Harry Kotses - Department of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens, OH
C Thomas Humphries - Department of Public Health Sciences, University of North Carolina Charlotte, Charlotte, NC; Asthma and Allergy Specialists, P.A., Charlotte, NC
Karen B Schmaling - Department of Public Health Sciences, University of North Carolina Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
Melanie Lee Mullin - Department of Public Health Sciences, University of North Carolina Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
Publication Details: Chest, Vol.139(4), pp.832-838
Academic Unit: Psychology, Department of
Publisher: United States
Grant note: R01HL068706 / NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL068706 / NHLBI NIH HHS
Identifiers: 99900547001001842
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article