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Background and objectives. Alexithymia is a personality trait associated with difficulty identifying and verbalizing feelings. It has been associated with poorly controlled asthma and near-fatal asthma. The primary objectives were to determine the prevalence of alexithymia in a group of moderate to severe asthmatics who attended an Outpatient Clinic; and investigate the relationship between alexithymia and asthma control, management, and communication. Methods. Twenty-five moderate to severe asthma patients were recruited from the Royal Adelaide Hospital Outpatient Respiratory Clinic. Participants were either mailed the questionnaire pack or completed it after a clinic appointment. Existing validated questionnaires were used to collect data. The primary outcome measures were alexithymia, asthma control, adherence to medication; patient satisfaction with communication with health care providers and …