Botox and asthma seem like an unlikely pair. One paralyzes muscles and removes wrinkles, while the other restricts air flow. It doesn't seem like paralysis would be useful in letting more air through, but that's exactly the hypothesis put forth by Professor Philip Bardin of Australia's Monash Medical Centre.
In some forms of asthma, not only is air flow restricted within the lungs, but the vocal cords also spasm and prevent air from flowing freely through them. Bardin said the phenomenon was "like breathing through a straw," as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald.
The research study hopes to solve this problem by injecting botulinum toxin, more commonly known by the trade name "Botox," directly into the vocal cords, which will prevent them from going into spasms. This treatment is already used for laryngeal dystonia, where the vocal cords involuntarily contract. People can still speak after the treatment, but their voices are softer than normal.
According to the US Dept of Health and Human services, over 20 million Americans currently have asthma and 7.7 million Americans reported having an asthma attack in the last 12 months.
While asthma cases involve restricted airflow through the lungs, some of them involve both the lungs and vocal cords. The vocal cord treatment with Botox could help transform severe cases of asthma into ones that can be more easily managed.
The FDA approved use of botulinum toxin for cosmetic purposes in 2002 and it has since become widely used to reduce wrinkles and facial frown lines. Its medical uses included treatment of muscular pain disorders.
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