Significance of Allergy in Asthma from a Behavioral Medicine Viewpoint

Abstract

The interaction between allergic and psychic factors in bronchial asthma is reexamined using more recent allergologic and psychological methods (e.g. behavioral analysis, PRIST). 44 asthma outpatients are examined according to three allergy parameters in two groups (‘high’ vs. ‘low’ allergy potential). No significant differences of personality, psychosocial or behavioral analysis data are found between groups. An interaction between allergic potential and psychic factors in bronchial asthma in the sense of less psychopathological findings in patients with ‘higher’ allergic potential is not found.

Depression and Allergies: Survey of a Nonclinical Population

“…45 % in higher vs. 31 % in lower socioeco nomic groups) [25,26] and that most cases of allergic rhinitis and asthma begin before the age of 30 [27], Thus, a college population might be expected to yield a larger sample of allergies than the general population. Selfreport of specific allergies has been corrobo rated with diagnostic procedures in approxi mately two-thirds of the cases studied [26], in addition to the startling finding that self-esti mation of allergic susceptibility correlates more strongly with serum IgE levels than does a measure of average skin test reaction sever ity for 24 common antigens [28],…”