Asthma severity and psychopathology in a tertiary care department for children and adolescents

A group of 92 children and adolescents (63 boys and 29 girls) (mean age 11.7) was investigated over one year by a pediatric pneumology/allergy service unit. The psychopathological problems of 2 groups were compared: 'mild' (n=12) and 'moderate/severe' (n=80) persistent asthma as defined by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Various questionnaires were completed by the patients, including the CBCL and the CPRS. The patients were examined by an experienced psychologist using the French version of the revised semi-structured diagnostic interview Kiddie-SADS. 12 cases with intermittent or mild persistent asthma and 80 cases with moderate and severe persistent asthma were found. Moderate /severe asthma was more often associated with DSM-IV psychiatric disorders. Also, there were more symptoms in the severe group as indicated by several questionnaires. (Original abstract - amended)