In an HCP Live commentary on depression and asthma control, Larner Assistant Professor of Medicine Brittany Duchene, M.D., M.S., a pulmonary and critical care physician at the University of Vermont Medical Center, discusses her findings that patients with asthma who report depressive symptoms are significantly more likely to describe their disease as poorly controlled and to experience greater symptom burden—yet do not show correspondingly higher rates of exacerbations or reduced spirometric lung function.
Dr. Duchene presented her work at the 2026 American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference in Orlando, Florida, in May.
“Depressive symptoms are an independent factor when it comes to asthma control and symptoms and quality of life—if you have depressive symptoms, you’re twice as likely to have poorly controlled asthma, despite correcting the data for BMI, race, and socioeconomic status,” Duchene said. “Just getting the message out and having people aware that this is an existing correlation is the first big step.”