Psychosomatic aspects of bronchial asthma in children

Abstract

Bronchial asthma is the most common chronic disease in children affecting 30% of the child population. The purpose of this review was to analyze and summarize the works of foreign and Russian authors who evaluated the impact of mental disorders on the course of asthma in children. The article presents the definition of asthma as a psychosomatic disease and relevance of the study against this background. The authors adduce the results of research studies which allow us to estimate the interaction between the degree of anxiety, accentuation of the nature, severity of asthma, and the duration of the disease. The existing publications demonstrate that the researchers' opinions are polarized regarding the cause-and-effect relationship between psychological disorders and controlled asthma. The authors came to a conclusion that early detection of psychopathological symptoms and appropriate psychotherapeutic administration would improve the efficacy of treatment in children with bronchial asthma and the social adaptation, adjust the system of family relations, and have a positive effect on the course of the disease.