A new study has explored how anxiety can aggravate asthma.
Anxiety sensitivity, in simple terms, is a fear of fear. But when people with anxiety sensitivity also have asthma, their suffering can be far more debilitating and dangerous, because they have difficulty managing their asthma. The University of Cincinnati study recommends treatment to help decrease asthma symptoms.
The study showed that people who reported higher anxiety sensitivity not only reported greater anxiety during the straw-breathing task, but also experienced greater asthma symptoms and decreased lung function.
Anxiety sensitivity not only helps explain why we see higher rates of anxiety disorders, but also why anxiety is associated with poorer asthma outcomes, says researcher Alison McLeish.
As a result, the study recommended interventions for anxiety sensitivity – such as exposure therapy – aimed at reducing the anxiety.
The research will be published in an upcoming special issue of the journal Behavior Modification and is currently featured ahead of the print issue in the journal’s online first section.
