Aim. The author examined psychiatrically a group of 106 patients with difficult asthma and 100 patients with aspirin-induced asthma. The special interest of the study were differences in the intensity of catastrophic interpretation of body sensations and it's specific links with severity of symptoms of panic disorder and depression in women and men from both groups. Method. 106 consecutive adults with confirmed, physician-diagnosed difficult asthma and 100 patients with aspirin-induced asthma underwent a psychiatric interview and assessment using M.I.N.I 5.0, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Panic And Agoraphobia Scale (PAS) and Body Sensations Interpretation Questionnaire (BSIQ). Psychiatric assessment was performed by an experienced liaison psychiatrist according to ICD-10 and DSM-IV diagnosis. In the difficult asthma group there were 78 women (74%) and 28 men (26%). The average age was 51.3 (SD=14.5) for women and 47.5 (SD=12.7) for men. In aspirin induced asthma group, there were 66 women (66%) and 34 men (34%). The average age was 52.7 (SD=12.3) for women and 48.8 (SD=13.0) for men. Results. General intensity of catastrophic interpretation of body sensations was much higher in the difficult asthma group. In both groups of asthmatic patients women were the majority, with more frequent severe panic and depressive symptoms than men. Nevertheless there was a very similar and strong tendency to increased intensity of catastrophic interpretation due to severity of both panic and depressive symptoms in subgroups of women and men with difficult and aspirin-induced asthma. Conclusions. It is possible that differences in the intensity of catastrophic interpretation of body sensations used by women and men with difficult asthma affect the development, course and severity of their panic and depressive symptoms. This may play a special role in development of difficult asthma phenomenon.