• Asmaa Jniene, Leila Achachi, Mustapha El Bakkali, Laila Herrak, Aziza Rhanim, Souad Aboudrar, Taoufiq Dakka, and Mustapha El Ftouh.
• Department of Pulmonology, Ibn Sina Hospital, Ibn Sina University Hospital Center, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco.
• Afr Health Sci. 2020 Sep 1; 20 (3): 1471-1477.

BackgroundDyspnea is a subjective symptom of asthma whose perception is characterized by an interindividual variability. Poor dyspnea perception is usually associated with increased risk of exacerbation and may lead to inappropriate asthma management and under-treatment. We sought to identify factors associated with discrepancies between poor dyspnea perception and abnormal lung function in patients with moderate persistent asthma.Methodology65 patients, who attended their scheduled follow-up pulmonology consultation at Ibn Sina Hospital (Rabat - Morocco), underwent interrogation including modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale for dyspnea, physical examination and spirometry. Two groups, those with mMRC < 2 (poor dyspnea perceivers) and those with mMRC scale ≥ 2 were compared.ResultsPoor dyspnea perception was found in 21 patients (32.3%). Associated factors were male sex (p : 0.03), low socio-economic income (p : 0.01), an onset of symptoms greater than 10 years (p : 0.01), BMI ≥ 25 Kg/m2 (p : 0.04) and depression (p : 0.04).ConclusionThe results revealed factors significantly associated with poor dyspnea perception despite an obstructive ventilatory disorder. These factors could usefully be considered to successfully manage asthma as well as the regular prescription of an objective test like spirometry.© 2020 Jniene A et al.

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