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Prevention of asthma induced by cold air by cellulose‐fabric face mask
Author(s) -
Millqvist E.,
Bake B.,
Bengtsson U.,
Löwhagen O.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.363
H-Index - 173
eISSN - 1398-9995
pISSN - 0105-4538
DOI - 10.1111/j.1398-9995.1995.tb01137.x
Subject(s) - asthma , cellulose , face (sociological concept) , medicine , materials science , composite material , chemical engineering , immunology , engineering , philosophy , linguistics
We have tested the effect of a porous cellulose fabric face mask. Nine asthmatic patients, anamnestically sensitive to cold, took part in exercise tests on an ergometer bicycle at a temperature of approximately ‐10°C, with and without a face mask. For comparison, exercise tests were also performed with breathing taking place through a woolen scarf. Three minutes after finishing the exercise test, there was an average fall in FEV, of 32% in the group without a face mask. The corresponding fall in FEV, was 6% with a face mask and 17% with a scarf. In order to get some idea of the patients’ attitudes to the face mask, it was used by 25 asthma patients during a period of 2 weeks in winter, after which they were asked to answer a simple questionnaire. Eighty‐eight percent of the patients stated that the face mask had provided satisfactory protection against asthma complaints induced by cold air, and 72% reported that they had been able to spend more time out‐of‐doors. The results show that porous cellulose fabric designed as a face mask offers effective protection against asthma complaints induced by cold air and exercise, and that the patients appear to appreciate this protective aid highly despite the cosmetic disadvantages.