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Table 3 Patient-reported most bothersome symptomsa during the exacerbation

From: Patient experience of moderate asthma attacks: qualitative research in the USA and Germany

Symptom reported as bothersomeb

Reason (where given) for why symptom reported as bothersome

Supporting quotes

Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing (n = 21)

Worry/anxiety (n = 3)

“Um, it just causes me like the most worry and um, yeah, I guess that’s, that’s why that makes it the most bothersome.” (USA-03)

Fear (n = 3)

“But when this shortness of breath comes, especially if it’s the middle of the day, then it’s super disruptive.” (Germany-31)

Limits activity (n = 3)

And why was that the most bothersome? Just because it’s really hard to breathe.” (USA-03)

Panic (n = 2)

 

Hard to breathe (n = 2)

 

Disruptive (n = 1)

 

Annoying (n = 1)

 

Like suffocating (n = 1)

 

Scary (n = 1)

 

Coughing (n = 6)

Aggravating (n = 1)

“…probably the coughing cuz it’s really, it’s like really an intense cough.” (USA-02)

Intense (n = 1)

“It just gets a harder and harder cough where it makes my chest feel very sore at the end.” (USA-04)

Hard coughing leads to chest pain (n = 1)

What was the most disruptive thing? The coughing.” (Germany-30)

Self-conscious (n = 1)

 

Disruptive (n = 1)

 

Chest tightness (n = 6)

Cannot continue with daily tasks (n = 1)

“That what makes me feel that sometimes I cannot continue on my daily… it bothers me when I’m doing my daily tasks.” (USA-08)

Disruptive (n = 1)

“The feeling of tightness in my chest” (Germany-26)

Wheezing (n = 4)

Self-conscious (n = 1)

“Everybody can hear you wheezing.” (USA-01)

More persistent than other symptoms (n = 1)

Why the wheezing? It was more frequent.” (USA-11)

Limits activities (n = 1)

 

Chest pain/discomfort (n = 2)

Takes a lot out of the patient (n = 1)

“So, like the chest pain, um, that’s just… That, that takes a lot out… So that’s usually the one that I want, want to go away the most.” (USA-13)

  1. aA symptom was considered most bothersome based on the concept's intensity, frequency, disruption of daily life and cause for worry/panic; bn corresponds to the number of patients who considered the symptom most bothersome, where given