THE CORRELATION OF SYMPTOMS AND OBJECTIVE WHEEZE IN ASTHMATICS

Abstract

Objective: To determine the correlation between symptoms and objective wheeze in asthmatics.

Study Design: A cross sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Medicine department, Combined Military Hospital Lahore, from Jul to Dec 2019.

Methodology: Two hundred patients of asthma were selected reporting in Medicine department, CMH Lahore.
Patients were interviewed regarding their primary chest symptom and it was correlated with the clinical examination for wheeze to find which particular symptom correlated most with the presence of wheeze. The 130 symptomatic cases were subjected to spirometry to assess their lung functions tests.

Results: Two hundreds patients of asthma were interviewed of whom 130 patients were symptomatic. Out of 130 patients, 59 (45.3%) complained of difficulty in breathing, 40 (30.7%) complained of shortness of breath, 20 (15.3%) had wheezing, 7 (5.3%) had cough and 4 (3%) had chest pain. Eighty five (65.3%) patients when examined had wheeze. The distribution of objective wheezing in the above cases were 100% for wheezing patient, 66.1% for Difficulty in breathing, 57.5% for shortness of breath 28.5% for cough and 25% for chest pain. The FEV1/FVC ratio was lowest for wheezing patients at 0.55 and highest for cough at 0.70.

Conclusion: Difficulty in breathing was the commonest symptom in symptomatic asthmatics being present
in 66.1% of patients. The symptom which correlated best with the presence of wheeze was wheezy chest and
difficulty in breathing and was also associated with lowest FEV1/FVC ratio.