Emotionally induced decreases in pulmonary flow rates in asthmatic children

Abstract

This study found that vividly remembered incidents of intense anger and similarly recalled fear decreased 1-sec forced expiratory flow rates (FEV1)in 35 male and 25 female chronic asthmatic children who had no psychopathology. FEV1 increased with relaxation. Changes in FEV1 following anger correlated with changes following fear as highly as the reliabilities of the responses permitted, although anger produced a greater decrease than fear. FEV1 decrease following anger and fear correlated with FEV1 increase due to relaxation. The amount of change in each of the three conditions correlated with history of emotionally precipitated asthma. This pattern was interpreted to mean that the same phenomenon underlies emotional-bronchoconstriction, relaxation-bronchodilitation, and emotionally triggered asthma. No relationship was found between degree of allergic sensitivity (atopy) and FEV1 changes in any of the three conditions nor did atopy correlate with history of emotionally triggered asthma. These results do not support the view that psychological and allergic factors are inversely related, alternative causes of asthma.