Correlation Between Anxiety Disorders and Asthma Severity Indices in Asthmatic Children

Background: Anxiety and depression in patients with asthma have been linked to frequent exacerbations, increased use of healthcare resources, and poor asthma control. Objectives: In the current study, we examined the correlations between asthma and symptoms of depression/anxiety in adolescents with asthma referred to Masih Daneshvari and Mofid hospitals during 2020 - 2021. Methods: The current observational, cross-sectional study was conducted by administering the Spence Children Anxiety Scale and a demographic information checklist among 105 subjects. Asthma severity was measured using forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC), the number of short-acting β-2 agonists used per week or month, the number of night awakenings per week or month, having asthma symptoms in daily activities, the number of asthma attacks needing oral corticosteroids per year, and the number of disease exacerbations per week or month. Data were analyzed, and the correlation between the variables was investigated through linear regression and ordinal logistic regression. Results: Patients with a mean age of 11.3 ± 2.5 years showed a mean overall anxiety score of 14 ± 9 out of 114. There was a significant negative correlation between the overall score of anxiety disorders and FEV1 and FEV1/FVC (P < 0.001). There was also a direct correlation between the overall score of anxiety disorders and the frequency of using β-2 agonists, the number of night awakenings, interference with normal functions, and exacerbation frequency (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Our findings indicated a significant association between anxiety disorders and asthma in children. Considering the high prevalence of asthma in Iran than the global average, studying the underlying mechanisms of anxiety and psychological and environmental variables in children with asthma can aid in developing effective psychological therapies.