Causes of asthma

Asthma: An Autoimmune Disease Asthma is similar to COPD in the fact that both are lung diseases, both are exacerbated by chemicals of different types (in COPD the irritant is usually tobacco smoke), both are aided by the same drugs: broncho- dialators and anti-inflammatories such as steroids, and both are common. Infections tend to make them worse. Asthma, proper, seems to affect younger people and COPD older people, but perhaps asthmatic younger people evolve into people with COPD at times.

I will cut to the core of the issue and indicate that the cause for both is prior infection by Streptococcus pyogenese bacteria and the establishment of an autoimmune disease via the mechanism of antigenic mimicry occurs. This phenomenon can occur when the antigens of the bacteria mimic the structures and therefore the chemical features of macromolecules on the walls of the blood vessels and other structures of the body. If one gets repeated infections by that bacteria, and it is endemic in the populations of the vertebrates of the world (humans and domestic animals, for instance are the most important) the bacteria are spread around populations of people easily. Just a mild sniffle or what are erroneously termed "colds" can be caused by that germ. The idea that viruses cause all respiratory diseases, or colds, is simply not true, bacteria often cause mild respiratory diseases including the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes. It also can cause tonsillitis, pharyngitis (strep throat), sinusitis, adenitis, bronchitis laryngitis, and pneumonia. Now, repeated infections by the above organism, Streptococcus pyogenes or Strep A as it is commonly caused, causes the immune system to be sensitized, to have immunological memory, and then infections in the future can develop a progressive, immunological, inflammatory response. Often this may be a week or two after an infection, or during a prolonged, mild, respiratory disease.

Respiratory disease means; tonsillitis, ear infections, periodontal infections, bronchitis, pharyngitis, pneumonia (lung abscess), etc. So, a person can even be a carrier of the bacteria, be developing an autoimmune response and not be sick. Other house hold members can be carriers and spread it to others without being sick. Schools, where children congregate in great numbers are great places for diseases to spread from one to another: a great reason to home school kinds on a computer!

Since lungs function to absorb oxygen and rid the body of carbon dioxide, the lungs have a very dense blood vessel network and a very dense capillary network. Inflammatory blood vessel disease causes inflammation of the small airways, and the inflammation causes increased mucous secretion, and those two phenomenon plus the abnormal airway diameter control due to the vasculitis which affects the autonomic nerves which control the lung airway musculature leads to the problems with breathing: excess mucous, inflammation and swelling of the small airways, and the abnormalities, via autoimmune vasculitis, of the autonomic nerves controlling bronchial dilation. The big three: excess mucous, bronchoconstriction, and inflammation of the airway walls causes most of the symptoms. Since the same underlying disease causes allergies, such patients often have notable allergic responses to food or outside allergens. Similarly, steroid anti-inflammatories aid asthma and allergies.

The condition is easy to test: do ASO titers, Anti-DNAse Titers and Anti-Hyaluronidase titers to those with asthma attacks and also those with COPD attacks. Also, C-Reactive Protein, RA factor, and Sedimentation Rates will be high in the group as a class of patients. That means if 1000 are tested a meaningful percent, such as 30% to 40% will be elevated, much higher than could be by chance alone. If patients are treated repeatedly, such as every three months a much higher fraction will be positive. I have done it already in my clinics and treated patients prophylactically.

Surprisingly, if patients took penicillin daily (500mg 2 X Day), antihistamines morning and night, (zyrtec and benadryl, for instance), and aspirin, 325mg. coated two times a day, they would probably improve over time: why? Because asthma is part of the old concept of rheumatism. Lots of people with it will have sciatic back pain which old time docs termed sciatic rheumatism, tendonitis, arthritis, palmar erythema (redness of the palms), plantar erythema( redness if the bottoms of the feet), and express a great amount of dermographism (scratch the skin of the inner forearm and red streaks appear after a few seconds).

The Greek physician Galen coined the term rheumatism for "rheum", the word-root means phlegm or expectorant (that which one coughs up), and coryza (chronic sinus drainage material), and he knew that respiratory diseases caused a chronic, often painful, and sickly human condition. Modern specialty docs have "lost the bubble" when it comes to systemic diseases. Asthma and COPD are simply versions of the same disease, but this fact is not understood in the modern medical world of specialty medicine, as part of a systemic disease. It is probably not unusual for someone with severe asthma to get sick and die of "respiratory failure" when it is really rheumatic fever with carditis and pulmonary edema, and cardiac arrhythmia. Rheumatic fever is the highest level of autoimmune disease caused by Streptococcus pyogenese. Scarlet fever is the same disease, really.

Probably, it is true, but I have not had the proper patient population to figure it out for sure, that a good percentage of patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis will have asthma since it has the same source.

Cigarette smoking exacerbates asthma in youth and COPD in older people. Infection exacerbates asthma in younger people and COPD in older people. Older people have had the time to develop chronic lung and upper body changes, and younger people have not, but it is the same disease process and it is caused and exacerbated by the same mechanisms.