Gender Differences in Perception of Dyspnea, Assessment of Control, and Quality of Life in Asthma

Background. There is limited information on the inter-relationship between gender, perception of dyspnoea and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in asthma. Methods. In a cross-sectional study in an out-patient setting, 85 patients with bronchial asthma, 41 males and 44 females, underwent spirometry and were administered the following instruments to measure asthma control, HRQoL and dyspnoea : (a) Asthma control questionnaire (ACQ), (b) Asthma Quality of Life questionnaire (AQLQ), (c) Baseline dyspnoea index (BDI) questionnaire and Oxygen Cost Diagram (OCD). Results. Overall, male patients had greater airways obstruction but reported similar level of asthma control as females. Among patients with mild persistent asthma, females had a poorer level of control. The BDI and the OCD scores were significantly lower in female patients indicating greater dyspnoea and they also had a poorer quality of life especially in the symptoms and emotional domains of the AQLQ. After adjusting for the severity of airways obstruction in multivariate analysis, female gender and a poorer quality of life were independent predictors of increased perception of dyspnoea. Conclusions. Female patients with asthma are likely to have a greater perception of dyspnoea, report a poorer control and have a poorer quality of life as compared to males. Female gender and a poorer quality of life are independent predictors of increased perception of dyspnoea in asthmatics.