In many people with bronchial asthma, some odors, such as the smell of perfume, can cause inflammation in the airways.

But according to scientists from the Center for Chemical Sensations of Monell (Philadelphia, USA), the only belief that a smell is harmful can cause a similar effect.

A research team led by Dr. Cristina Jaen, a physiologist at Monell, recently published these incredible results in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research.

Asthma is a chronic lung disease characterized by inflammation and narrowing of the airways. This disease in the US alone suffers from over 25 million people. Symptoms of asthma include coughing, wheezing with breathing, wheezing, chest tightness.

Because the airways of asthmatics are very sensitive, the symptoms can become aggravated by exposure to certain triggers, such as dust particles, wool, pollen or chemical agents.

According to the scientific team, many organizations refer substances with a strong smell (perfume, hair styling sprays) to triggers of asthma. Scientists point out that this alone can cause patients anxiety with possible contact with such substances.

Therefore, the team decided to check whether this fear of dangerous substances in itself can affect the worsening of asthma symptoms. To do this, the scientists collected a small group of 17 volunteers with asthma of medium severity, and during the experiment they were exposed to phenylethyl alcohol for 15 minutes.

Phenylethyl alcohol (PEA) has a rose fragrance and is considered a "pure" flavor that does not irritate the respiratory tract.

Before exposure to phenylethyl alcohol, eight participants were told that this aroma may have therapeutic properties. Other participants were informed that this smell could cause respiratory problems.

The team found that the second group of participants evaluated the smell of phenylethyl alcohol as more "annoying" compared to those who thought that this smell was curative.

Those participants who were set up to harm the odor of REA developed immediate inflammation of the respiratory tract. To the surprise of the researchers, this inflammation persisted even 24 hours after the experiment. Nothing like this was observed in asthmatics from the first group!.

The scientists concluded that the effects of aromatic substances depend on the subjective opinion of patients, and not only on their real ability to irritate the respiratory tract.

Dr. Jaen says: "It matters not only what you breathe, but also what you think about it. Asthmatics often worry about various flavors.

When we expect that the smell will do us harm, our body reacts as if the smell is actually harmful. Both patients and health professionals need to understand how our expectations affect the symptoms of the disease ".

The team says that they want to study the biological mechanisms underlying the relationship between expectation of harm and inflammation of the respiratory tract. In addition, it is interesting to know whether asthma symptoms can be reduced if anxiety is reduced in asthmatics.

medbe. en.

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