MedWire News: People with asthma are more likely to think about and attempt suicide than those without the respiratory condition, researchers have found.

A number of studies have suggested that people with asthma may be at increased risk of suicidal thoughts and actions, explain Diana Clarke, from Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in Baltimore, USA, and team.

To investigate further, the researchers studied data on 5692 US adults who participated in a national health survey.

The team found that patients with asthma were significantly more likely to report having suicidal thoughts with suicide attempts than other participants.

Surprisingly, however, suicidal thoughts without suicide attempts were no more common among asthma patients than among those without the condition.

Asthma patients who were smokers, depressed, anxious, or alcohol abusers were more likely to have experienced suicidal thoughts with suicide attempts than those without these problems.

Dr Clarke and team note: "Researchers have speculated that the relationship between asthma and suicidal behaviours is possibly because of ensuing mood and anxiety that results from disability and discomfort associated with asthma, which can be a lifelong disease.

"Individuals might have frequent thoughts of death with increasing severity solely because they have a potentially life-threatening illness."

They conclude: "Modification of smoking behaviours and effective treatment of depression, anxiety, alcohol abuse, and possibly asthma are important suicide prevention strategies."

The research is published in the Annals of Allergy Asthma and Immunology.