Thus, underlying mood and sleep disorders negatively impact asthma control, explains lead author Dr. Michael Wechsler, a pulmonologist and professor of medicine at National Jewish Health: “Control of asthma depends on the quality of sleep and mood balance, essential factors which affect overall quality of life more broadly but more narrowly the severity of asthma. These health problems should also be managed in asthma patients.”
Sleep and mental health, 2 prerequisites for effective asthma management
The study retrospectively examines the records of 659 patients participating in a cohort conducted at National Jewish Health. Asthma patients were evaluated based on the concomitant presence of obstructive sleep disorders, mood disorders, frequency of asthma attacks, and their asthma control test results. The analysis confirms:
- the significant increase in the prevalence of mood disorders in asthma patients, particularly in those who also suffer from insomnia;
- poor sleep quality is often associated with worsening asthma, particularly in patients who have already lost control of the disease;
- in asthmatic patients, depression is frequently associated with insomnia;
- vs. patients without sleep disorders, those with insomnia are also likely to receive a concomitant diagnosis of OSA, as well as a diagnosis of depression or anxiety disorders;
- among insomnia patients, the annual average of asthma attacks is considerably higher.
“As doctors, we must treat the comorbidities of asthma,
such as sleep and mood disorders, in the same way as we do for other conditions that impact asthma management, such as GERD, sinusitis or other ENT disorders.”
Research is continuing to precisely identify the mechanisms at the origin of these different interactions between asthma, sleep and depression. This new understanding could lead to guidelines for screening and more holistic management of the disease.
