Surprise Attacks

Fathers, mothers, and siblings are usually the leading indicators in a person’s health history. But Marlie Johnson’s “aha” moment about her asthma came from her children.

Asthma is an inflammatory disorder of the airways, bringing on periodic attacks of wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology estimates that 20 million Americans have asthma; of these, 10 million have asthma triggered by allergies to pollens, dust mites, cockroaches, ants, pet dander, and mold.

Asthma often shows up in childhood. Johnson’s three children, ages 15, 11, and 5, have all suffered with severe allergies and two of them also have intermittent asthma. Johnson, now 46, didn’t realize that she had the same problems, despite clues.

“When I was 30, I was getting exercise-induced asthma,” says the Excelsior mom, a licensed practical nurse working with Dr. Michael Wexler at Advancements in Allergy and Asthma Care in Minnetonka. (Johnson and her kids are also Wexler’s patients.) “I would wheeze when I would start running,” she says, and she frequently had what sounded like a smoker’s cough, though she’s never smoked. Last year, after she had successive winters of developing colds that turned into bronchitis, her general practitioner said she should be tested for allergies. (Bronchitis is usually a short-term inflammation of the bronchial tubes caused by infection, but it can be a chronic condition similar to asthma).

Tests confirmed that Johnson had both allergies and asthma that was triggered by allergies. “It wasn’t until my kids had it, and they said you’ll see it running in families” that she made the connection, Johnson says. As a child, she didn’t have asthma attacks; her parents didn’t either. Johnson believes there are probably many other adults who, like her, don’t realize they have asthma. “It was surprising to my family and friends, ” she says.

The Panting Disease

There are records of asthma even in ancient times (the name comes from the Greek word for “panting”), but its incidence is rising worldwide, prompting speculation that pollutants may be a trigger. Then again, doctors say, it could just be that detection and diagnosis have improved.

Anyone can develop asthma at any point, and researchers are not sure why. Certain genes appear to cause a different response to irritants in the lungs. People without asthma can inhale pollens or other triggers and their lungs will expand in order to expel the irritant. In asthmatics, those irritants bring on an asthma attack, causing the lungs to constrict. White blood cells rush to the scene, which inflames the lungs and produces mucus, making it even more difficult to breathe. The inflammation can cause permanent changes in the lungs, worsening regular breathing and making an asthmatic more vulnerable to future attacks.