Botox, which is typically used to smooth out facial wrinkles, will soon be tested to determine if it can be of benefit to those who suffer from severe asthma.
According to the Australian news outlet ABC News, Melbourne clinicians at the Monash Institute of Medical Research will test Botox injections into the voice box muscles of asthmatic patients.
Botox is the brand name of a toxin called botulinum, the same toxin that causes botulism. A certain percentage of people suffering from asthma also have a voice box abnormality, which is similar to the abnormality they have in their asthmatic lungs.
By injecting the malfunctioning muscles in the voice box with Botox, researchers believe they may be able to reset their movements, facilitating better air exchange and breathing. Professor Phil Bardin, who is Australia's Southern Health's Respiratory and Sleep Medicine director reports that the Botox treatment will not promote major risks or side effects.
Professor Bardin says, "From the literature it looks as though the injection doesn't have significant problems or side effects except that people's voices are sometimes softer as you'd sort of expect."
If the study yields favorable results, many asthmatics can expect fewer visits to the emergency room, better exercise tolerance and an improvement in symptoms.
Symptoms of asthma include coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. Typical treatments for asthma include steroids and inhalation treatments. Although symptoms can be mild and short-lived, asthma attacks can be quite severe, and even life threatening.
During an asthma attack, the airways begin to narrow and the voice boxes of those who have severe asthma can start to spasm. The Botox injections could possibly prevent the voice box from experiencing these spasms and eventually return the organ to its optimal performance level after approximately three months.
Botox is also effective in treating a medical condition called dysphonia, which causes a person to lose his voice because of overuse and other conditions. A report in the United Kingdom's online publication, The Telegraph, states that in addition to treating wrinkles and asthma, Botox may be effective in treating migraine headaches, weight gain from diabetes and incontinence.
Professor Bardin says, "We have always wondered about why people with severe asthma would come in and say, "My asthma is terrible," and would point to their throats." Hence the discovery of the voice box/asthma connection.
The study is slated to get underway within the next few months in 2011 and is proposed to last approximately one year.
Gina Pisano is a registered nurse with over 20 years experience in various clinical settings, such as emergency room nursing, labor & delivery, surgical services, intensive care, geriatrics, pediatrics and general medicine.
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