Imagine trying to breathe through a drinking straw with your nose plugged. That's how it feels when someone has an asthma attack, said Larry Borish, associate prof. of internal medicine at the Medical School.
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lungs, some cases of which are caused by air pollution, second-hand smoke and all kinds of small allergy-causing particles called allergens. Genetic factors also have a large influence on development of the disease in individuals.
Asthma affects about five percent of Americans and diagnoses are on the rise. Cases increased from 6.7 million in 1980 to 17.3 million in 1998, according to the most recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Martin Chapman, prof. of internal medicine and microbiology, is developing new tests to help the rising number of asthma patients combat the disease.
He has developed a system for sampling the environment for the presence of allergens.
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Some examples of allergens include pollen, pet dander and dog saliva. Some of the most common allergen producing creatures are dust mites, microscopic insects related to spiders and ticks.
Humans are not allergic to the mites themselves, but exposure to their feces can cause allergic reactions in some people.
"Dust mites live in places like beds and carpets and feed on human skin scales. Probably 80 percent of childhood asthma cases are related to kids being allergic to something, the majority of which are mites," Chapman said.
Chapman's test helps sufferers detect the presence of these allergens in their homes.
Asthma sufferers can use Chapman's new tests to determine whether they have dust-mite allergen problems and if so, whether the levels of allergen particles are high or low.
The tests, run on a small device that looks like a pregnancy test, will probably be on the market and available over the counter by the end of the year, Chapman said.
Once patients know the allergens are present, they can take steps to combat the symptoms of asthma.
"If you can show the presence of an allergen, the patient can take steps to remove it," Chapman said.
Patients can purchase special sheets and pillowcases designed to protect against mite breeding or use special vacuums to prevent the spread of dust.
The tests use small molecules called monoclonal antibodies, derived from antibodies naturally occurring in animal immune systems.
While the bloodstream contains hundreds of different antibodies, the monoclonal antibodies used in Chapman's test contain only one variety designed to attach to a specific allergen such as highly pervasive dust mite proteins in samples of household dust.
Chapman and researchers also have developed antibodies which are sensitive to cat and cockroach allergens among others. "We have provided antibodies for 250 publications in this area " of research Chapman said.
The antibodies were designed originally for use in research, but Chapman and other researchers recently expanded their function after deciding they had been spending too much time seeking grants to fund their research.
"The best way to solve the problem was to form a company," Chapman said.
In 1994 Chapman started Indoor Biotechnologies Ltd. which currently has a location in Charlottesville.
While allergies occur everywhere, some locations are more likely to have high allergy concentrations than others.
"Asthma is a bigger problem in cities due to the increased allergen lode," Borish said. Charlottesville is no exception, and last year approximately 1,000 asthma patient visits were recorded at the Elson Student Health Center, said Dr. Joe Chance, student health center associate director of general medicine.
Although the number of asthma cases is rising nationally, student health has not seen a noticeable increase recently.
"Its been pretty stable for the last four or five years," Chance added.
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