Asthma and menstruation: The relationship between psychological and bronchial hyperreactivity

The aim of this study was to investigate a possible interrelation between bronchial hyperreactivity and psychological hyperreactivity. In order to record changes in both bronchial and psychological reactions throughout the menstrual cycle, 10 women outpatients with moderate asthma were followed up for six months, and their physical and psychological status as well as their reactions to life-events and environmental influences were assessed through self-reporting measures and weekly psychotherapeutic sessions. Psychotherapy was used both as a supplement to the medical treatment and as a method of data collection. A relationship between lowered resistance to stress, lowered resistance to infections and increased bronchial hyperreactivity is suggested as background aetiological factors for the exacerbation of asthma around menstruation.