Bronchial asthma causes constriction of the bronchioles (airway passages). Figure 19 shows the windpipe and lungs, and cross-sections of normal and narrowed air passages (bronchioles). Asthma is always unpleasant and sometimes
even fataL The intensity of asthma attacks vary, but all are characterized by a feeling of tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, restlessness, coughing and wheezing. Although asthma is reversible and intermittent, it tends to recur and is generally considered a chronic condition. It is one of the most common causes of absenteeism and hospital admission in school-age children, among whom it is most prevalent. It currently affects about IS million Americans and is on the rise.
Asthma is variable in frequency and severity and can be triggered by a very wide variety of stimuli, including allergens (things that provoke an allergic response). These include dust, pollen, dander (tiny particles of animal skin, fur and feather), certain foods and drugs, viral infections, emotional stress, anxiety and even plain old exercise. Muscles within the walls of the bronchioles flex and go into spasm, the walls thicken, air passages become clogged by mucus, and air is trapped in the deepest airways (the alveoli). The wheezing sound is caused by air passing with difficulty through these narrowed passages. In its severest form, breathing becomes impossible and the patient suffocates.
Asthma sufferers should make an effort to identify and avoid the triggers that cause their attacks, whether allergic, infectious, toxic, or emotional. They can also take preventative medications - antihistamines and sodium cromoglycate. These minimize the effects of the allergic response. Once an attack is in progress other drugs are needed to reopen (dilate) the walls of the bronchioles. These are called bronchodilators and are commonly used in inhalers such as salbutemol or albuterol. Inhaled or ingested steroids are also available. They minimize the swelling and inflammation of the bronchial walls. In any case, once an attack has begun, treatment must be immediate and aggressive. The longer an attack lasts, the more the symptoms advance and the longer they take to reverse. There is little time to waste.
It has been long thought that low levels of glutathione and glutathione peroxidase levels playa role in the onset and progression of asthma. Numerous studies in asthmatics have identified such abnormalities in their red-blood glutathione, white-blood cell glutathione, serum glutathione, platelet glutathione and lung-fluid glutathione. There is a direct correspondence between low glutathione levels and the severity of the asthma attack.
Dietary, environmental, and genetic factors that diminish the potency of the antioxidant systems in the lung increase the risk of asthma. This relationship between antioxidant levels and asthma is seen in situations of elevated free-radical activity. Examples are lead poisoning, excessive iron stores and G6PD-deficiency, as well as low levels of vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium (a component of glutathione peroxidase).
The pulmonologist Dr. Carol Trenga recently presented to the American Lung Association an antioxidant cocktail that helped asthmatics particularly sensitive to air pollutants. European physicians have long used glutathione precursors in the treatment of asthma, particularly as a mucolytic (phlegm thinner) to break down thick secretions. In a double-blind study, inhaled bronchodilators were tested with and without NAc.The NAC (csu-enhanced) group experienced greater improvement in lung function than the control group.
Case study
Jean-Pierre, a financial analyst, suffered from allergies and asthma his whole
life. Summers were particularly bad and he often had to leave his native
Montreal for weeks in August to escape the ragweed allergy season. In early
summer, he was started on a program of NAC (N-acetylcysteine), Lrcysteine,
selenium, alpha-lipoic acid, multivitamins and stinging nettle (Urtica dioici).
That season, he reported having to use his Ventolin inhaler (salbutemol, a
bronchodilator for asthma) only two or three times a week, rather than two
or three times a day, and his use of antihistamine drugs was at a minimum.
He's even ventured to go camping with his girlfriend.
CONCLUSION
An impressive amount of research has clarified the critical importance of antioxidants and glutathione in all these pulmonary diseases. Unlike most other tissues, the lungs can use glutathione as-is-through direct contact - rather than having to first absorb its precursors and then manufacture it. There are many ways to elevate pulmonary glutathione, including oral, intravenous and inhaled therapies. In the next few years we will see increased use of these products to raise glutathione levels in acute, chronic and critical care patients.
See the article "LUNG DISEASE in Orlando" for the REFERENCES
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