Psychological intervention reduced hospital admissions, stays for patients with severe asthma

Patients with severe asthma experienced fewer admissions and hospital days after meeting with a clinical psychologist, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Munich.

“The results of our study can be a key factor in the current debate on how to treat people with severe asthma,” researcher Andrew Tan, MD, of University Hospital Southampton, Hampshire, England, said in a press release. “We know that a significant proportion of these patients experience psychological issues and these results demonstrate that by tackling these problems, we can also help improve asthma symptoms. This not only helps to improve the quality of life for the patient, but it also eases the burden on health care systems by reducing the amount of time these patients are in hospitals.”

Tan and colleagues reported that 10% of asthmatic patients with “difficult asthma” accounted for 80% of asthma-related expenditures, with psychiatric comorbidity present in about 27% of these patients.

The researchers offered an appointment with a clinical psychologist for 13 asthma patients who also had psychological comorbidities and had been admitted to Southampton General Hospital with asthma exacerbation at least twice in the previous year.

Admissions and hospital bed-days for asthma admissions were compared for 6 months before and after initial psychological consultation. There were 19 asthma admissions and 159 bed-days before intervention compared with 10 admissions and 93 bed-days after intervention (42% reduction in hospital days).

For more information:

Tan A. #855073. Presented at: European Respiratory Society 2014 International Congress; Sept. 6-10; Munich.

Disclosure: Tan did not report any relevant financial disclosures.