The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1927-03-24
SOMETHING ABOUT ASTHMA


Since we are using the protein
tests for asthma we are finding tina
many persons may be asthmatic with
out having -paradoxical al
that may be. What | mean is this
A patient may be asthmatic from one
of several causes without having true
asthma, namely, spasm of the bron-
chial tubes.
Causes of Asthmatic Attacks
There are number of diseases in
which continuous shortness of breath,
stimulating asthma, and often mistak-
emily diagnosed as the latter, is a
prominent symptom, often the most
distressing feature.
In many cases of heart disease, as
thmatic attacks cardiac asthma) are
common. In some forms of kidney
disease shortness of breath (renal
asthma) occurs quite frequently. In
full blooded' people the lungs often
become congested, the lining of the
bronchial tubes, thickened and their
lumen narrowed, giving rise to at
taclxs of shortness of breath, which is
often mistaken for true asthma.
Hardening of the arteries leading as
it does to high blood pressure, often
induces asthmatic attacks. The short
ness of breath complained of by dia-
bette patients likewise belongs to
this class. Many cases of exophthal-
mic goiter are diagnosed as asthma
because the asthmatic attacks over
shadow everything else in the clint
cal picture. In anemias, particularly
the form known as the pernicious an
emia, asthmatic attacks are by no
means rare and in many instances the
patients true condition is hidden by
their severity.
What True Bronchial Asthma Is
AS stated, true asthma is produced
by spasmodic contraction in many
section of the bronchial tubes. These
constructions make expulsion of the
air exceedingly difficult and the sub
iect suffers from "air hunger" be
cause he cannot get fresh supply of
oxygen. He leans over the back of
a chair or a window sill trying to ex-
pei the impure air from his lungs.
True asthma is in every particular
a nervous disorder. 1t occurs only in
certain types and the causes ascribed
are purely contributory. They are
found just as often in persons who
do not suffer from asthma.
Sensitization
Many estimates are sensitive to
one or another form of protein. Over
one hundred and fifty possible vari-
cites have been found capable Of in {
lucing the disease, or more correctly
speaking paraoxysms in those sub
ect to the disease. Usually, however, |
he following are Responsible: horse
landruff, orris root (found in most y
,alcum powders), cat hair, wheat, pol
ems, staphylococci opus producing
germs) and some of the more COM c
non foods. I
Patients will generally have discov-
red that they are sensitized to GER /
ain protein before they consult r
physician. For example a patient in +
ny own practice uses rice powder ex- r
lusively, having learned from bitter i
experience that the ordinary talcum
powders produced paroXysm. A p
kin test for orris root was made in t
his case and positive reaction OBJ e
aimed, bearing out the patients OBJ C
eryation. It was not imagination on il
Ter part, any more than it is in any
f these cases. There is something in E
he chemical makeup of these peo- i
lie which makes them sensitized to g
ertain other chemicals. The result is o
cataclysm of one kind or another, :
asthma. But it might be il
ives or headache in another. F.