When patient-reported respiratory symptoms shed light on pathophysiology in adult asthma: a cross-sectional study

While studies have demonstrated the impact of asthma symptoms on quality of life, very few studies have investigated the relationship between detailed asthma symptoms, as reported by the patient, and lung function and inflammation. A cross-sectional study was conducted on treated (ICS/LABA) adult (> 18 years) asthma patients recruited from the Liege University Hospital Asthma Clinic (Belgium) between 2018 and 2023 ( n = 505). The intensity of asthma symptoms (dyspnea, wheezing, chest tightness, cough, and airway secretion) was measured using five-point Likert scales (5 expressing the greatest intensity). Multiple linear regression models including all independent variables were carried out to evaluate whether lung function and inflammatory parameters were independently associated with distinct symptoms. Cough associated with female gender ( p