Do Asthma Symptoms and Lung Function Go Hand in Hand?

Current guidelines (National Asthma Education and Prevention Program and Global Initiative for Asthma) recommend assessing asthma control using a combination of symptoms, exacerbation history, and lung function. Although both reduced lung function and increased symptoms are associated with worsening asthma outcomes, the correlation between the two is unclear.

Researchers assessed 1748 surveys from patients with persistent asthma and compared those survey responses with patients' spirometry results. Patients' forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁) and their asthma-control questionnaire responses were not significantly correlated. Adjustment for socioeconomic status and smoking history improved correlation somewhat, but changes in FEV₁ an…