Survey study, 1986
Does asthma get worse during certain phases of the menstrual cycle?
About a third of women with asthma reported significant worsening of symptoms during the premenstrual and menstrual phases. Women with cycle-related worsening were more likely to have been hospitalized for asthma.
What they did
57 women with asthma were surveyed about whether their asthma symptoms changed with their menstrual cycle.
What they found
19 women (33%) reported significant worsening of total pulmonary symptom scores during the premenstrual period, menstrual period, or both, with maximum increase in shortness of breath, wheezing, and chest tightness during the premenstrual period. The other 38 (66%) noted no changes. Of the 19 women with cycle-related worsening, 13 (68%) had been hospitalized for asthma, compared with 10 (26%) of the 38 unaffected women.
What it means for you
Some women with asthma have worsening symptoms linked to their menstrual cycle, and these women are more likely to need hospital care. Doctors should ask women with asthma about cycle-related symptoms and monitor them closely during the premenstrual phase. The study is small and observational, so results may not apply to all women.
19 of 57
women (33%) with cycle-related asthma worsening
13 of 19
women with worsening were hospitalized
10 of 38
women without worsening were hospitalized
About the study
- Original title
- Morbidity in asthma in relation to the menstrual cycle
- Authors
- Eliasson O, Scherzer HH, DeGraff AC Jr
- Journal
- The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
- Year
- 1986
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 57
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0091-6749(86)90328-3
Topics
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