The affective and somatic response of alexithymic patients to their asthma was analyzed in reference to the ten symptom categories of the Asthma Symptom Checklist. Alexithymic asthmatics minimize their self-account of physical and emotional difficulties experienced during respiratory distress. Successful medical treatment of these patients necessitates early appraisal of the alexithymic trait followed by an appreciation of the potential psychomaintenance problems which this psychologic condition creates.
Brown et al. (Tue,) studied this question.