Review
Perceived triggers of asthma: key to symptom perception and management
T. Janssens,
T. Ritz,
Corresponding Author
T. Janssens
University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA
Correspondence:
Thomas Janssens, Health Psychology, Tiensestraat 102, Box 3726, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. E-mail: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorT. Janssens,
T. Ritz,
Corresponding Author
T. Janssens
University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA
Correspondence:
Thomas Janssens, Health Psychology, Tiensestraat 102, Box 3726, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. E-mail: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorSummary
Adequate asthma management depends on an accurate identification of asthma triggers. A review of the literature on trigger perception in asthma shows that individuals vary in their perception of asthma triggers and that the correlation between self-reported asthma triggers and allergy tests is only modest. In this article, we provide an overview of psychological mechanisms involved in the process of asthma triggers identification. We identify sources of errors in trigger identification and targets for behavioural interventions that aim to improve the accuracy of asthma trigger identification and thereby enhance asthma control.
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