The effect of personality disorders on asthma severity and quality of life.

Assesment of health related quality of life (HRQL) is increasingly recognized as an important part of the patient care in asthma. We aimed to evaluate the effect of personality disorders (PDs) on HRQL and the severity of disease in asthmatic patients. Ninety seven consecutive patients with asthma and ninety healthy controls were included. All  patients  completed  a  Short  Form-36  health  survey  (SF-36)  and  Structured  Clinical Interview Form for DSM-III-R Axis-II Disorders (SCID-II). All  SF-36  questionnaire  scores  of  asthmatic  patients  were  significantly  lower  than the   controls.   There   were   statistical   differences   between   the   asthma   severity   and the  mean  scores  of  vitality  and  emotional  role  difficulties  of  HRQL’s  subdomains (p=0.03, p=0.014, respectively). There was a weak but statistically significant correlation between the scores of pain and emotional role difficulties, and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) (r=0.27, p=0.007; r=0.24, p=0.01, respectively). When compared to healthy  controls,  patients  with  asthma  had  higher  prevalence  of   PDs   (p=0.0001). The  most  common  PDs  found  in  asthmatic  patients  were  obsessive-compulsive  and avoidant   PDs.   HRQL   values   of   asthma   patients   with   PDs   were   significantly lower  than  patients  without  PDs  except  for  the  physical  functioning  subscores  on HRQL. We  conclude  that  patients  with  asthma  have  higher  prevalence  of  PDs,  which  is associated with their poor quality of life. A psychiatric evaluation may be beneficial in patients with asthma if a concomitant PD is suspected.