Patient mislabeling of symptoms: implications for patient-physician communication and medical outcome.

Mislabeling of symptoms was studied in a group of 587 chronic asthmatic patients. Results indicated a wide variation in both the frequency and type of mislabeling, with over 26 per cent of the patients mislabeling one or more nonairways obstruction symptom clusters as being an asthma attack. Several demographic and personality factors were found to correlate with mislabeling. Finally, mislabeling was associated with medical outcome, with mislabelers being 40 per cent more likely than nonmislabelers to be rehospitalized for their asthma within six months of discharge.