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. 1972 Mar 18;1(5802):719–721. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.5802.719

Relation Between Personality and Ventilatory Response to Carbon Dioxide in Normal Subjects: A Role in Asthma?

N A Saunders, Sandra Heilpern, A S Rebuck
PMCID: PMC1787677  PMID: 5015326

Abstract

Ventilatory response to carbon dioxide, as an index of respiratory centre sensitivity, was measured in 50 normal subjects. Their personality was documented in terms of extraversion and neuroticism scores by the Eysenck Personality Inventory. A significant correlation was found between extraversion score and ventilatory response to carbon dioxide in women (P < 0·005) but not in men. No correlation was found between ventilatory responsiveness and neuroticism score in either sex. It is suggested that the degree of extraversion may play some part in determining the level of ventilation adopted, and hence of arterial carbon dioxide tension, if and when women develop lung disease such as asthma.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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