TY - JOUR T1 - Perception of Asthma Symptoms as Assessed on the Visual Analog Scale in Subjects With Asthma: A Real-Life Study JF - Respiratory Care SP - 23 LP - 29 DO - 10.4187/respcare.04171 VL - 61 IS - 1 AU - Giorgio Ciprandi AU - Irene Schiavetti AU - Valentina Sorbello AU - Fabio LM Ricciardolo Y1 - 2016/01/01 UR - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/61/1/23.abstract N2 - BACKGROUND: The perception of symptoms is a cornerstone in asthma management, but studies concerning this aspect provide conflicting evidence. The visual analog scale has been proposed as a useful tool for assessing perception of respiratory symptoms. The present study investigated whether visual analog scale assessment of perception of asthma symptoms was correlated to lung function or clinical features.METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled 388 subjects with asthma (159 males; mean age 39.7 y). Perception of asthma symptoms was assessed by the visual analog scale; lung function was measured by spirometry. Asthma control was evaluated by the asthma control test. Anxiety and depression were evaluated on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale questionnaire.RESULTS: Asthma was well controlled in 46.6% of subjects. Asthma symptoms in the prior month were reported by 59% of subjects; asthma signs were detected in 7.2%. The visual analog scale score was moderately correlated to FEV1 (r = 0.43). Subjects with bronchial obstruction had lower visual analog scale values than those without (P < .001). A visual analog scale score of 6 was a reliable cutoff point to discriminate subjects with bronchial obstruction (area under the curve = 0.71 at receiver operating characteristic curve; odds ratio [OR] = 7.58). Reported asthma symptoms (OR = 4.83), asthma signs (OR = 8.36), and anxiety (OR = 1.14) were predictive of a visual analog scale score of <6.CONCLUSIONS: This real-life study found that assessment of asthma symptoms by the visual analog scale might be a reliable tool in managing patients with asthma. ER -