Clinical Studies on a Case of Bronchial Asthma with Myasthenia Gravis

Abstract

Allergo-immunologic investigations and examinations of the autonomic nerve system were performed in a case of bronchial asthma with myasthenia gravis. The results were as follows:
1) Asthma attacks and blephaloptosis were observed to tend to appear alternately.
2) The same trend was shown by administration of mecholyl or other anti-cholinergic drugs and when such drugs were given asthma attacks increased, although blephaloptosis improved.
3) Asthma attacks in this patient resembling those of many patients with bronchial asthma were observed mainly in the early morning.
4) Allergy examinations showed normal serum IgE level, negative skin reaction tests and no peripheral eosinophilia.
These results show that asthma attacks and symptoms of myasthenia gravis seemed to appear alternately in interaction of acetylcholine, showing a see-saw phenomenon and suggest that the autonomic nervous system participates in an induction mechanism or process in asthma.