Hyperventilation syndrome in adolescents with and without asthma. Issue 12 (2nd December 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: D'Alba, Irene; Carloni, Ines; Ferrante, Anna Lisa; Gesuita, Rosaria; Palazzi, Maria Laura; de Benedictis, Fernando Maria
• Is Part Of: Pediatric pulmonology. Volume 50:Issue 12(2015)
• Page Start: 1184
• Page End: 1190
• Publication Date: 2014-12-02
• Subjects: Hyperventilation syndrome -- adolescents -- asthma; Pediatric respiratory diseases -- Periodicals; Pediatrics -- Periodicals; 618.922
• DOI: 10.1002/ppul.23145
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 8755-6863

Abstract

Summary: Background: Data on the prevalence of hyperventilation syndrome (HVS) in adolescents are scanty. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of HVS in a population of adolescents with and without asthma, and to verify whether HVS was related to asthma activity. Methods: A population of adolescents was asked to self‐complete a questionnaire, including the Nijmegen questionnaire to assess HVS, and a standardized asthma questionnaire. Results: Seven hundred and sixty questionnaires were suitable for analysis. One hundred and twenty subjects (15.8%) were classified as asthmatic. Forty‐seven subjects (6.2%) had a Nijmegen score ≥23, which was suggestive of HVS. Symptoms indicative of HVS were ten times more common in subjects with asthma (25%) than in those without asthma (2.5%). Nijmegen score was significantly higher in subjects with lifetime asthma ( P < 0.001), current episodic asthma ( P < 0.05) and current active asthma ( P < 0.001) than in those with no asthma. In the whole population, girls presented HVS more frequently than boys ( P < 0.001). There was a significant effect of gender (females, OR 3.2) and status of asthma (lifetime asthma, OR 11.2; current episodic asthma, OR 8.9; current active asthma, OR 41.5) on the probability of suffering from HVS. Conclusions: The prevalence of symptoms indicative of HVS in an unselected population of adolescents was relatively high. Symptoms were more common in girls and in subjects with asthma, and there was a significant effect of asthma activity on the probability of suffering from HVS. Further studies need to be performed in order to validate a screening tool for HVS in both adolescents and asthmatic subjects.Pediatr Pulmonol. 2015; 50:1184–1190. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.