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Psychosomatic Medicine 20:60-65 (1958)
© 1958 American Psychosomatic Society

Role of Odors in Asthma

MARVIN STEIN M.D.1 and PERRY OTTENBERG M.D.1

1 Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa.

The psychological role of odors in the etiology of asthma has been considered.

A series of 25 asthmatic patients were interviewed in an attempt to determine if odors were related to the patients' asthma. Twenty-two of the 25 patients stated that odors precipitated asthmatic attacks. An analysis of the character of the odors revealed that these odors were for the most part anal derivatives.

A series of 19 common odorous substances were presented in a standardized manner to a group of apparently healthy subjects and to a group of asthmatic patients. The subjects were requested to report everything that came to mind. The asthmatic subjects had significantly more blocking of associations.

These observations have been discussed in relation to childhood experiences and unresolved conflicts. The infantile conflict could not be clearly ascertained from the data reported, although the nature of the odors associated with attacks suggest that it may be related to the anal phase of psychosexual development.

It has been suggested that the frequent use by asthmatic patients of a "perceptual" type of blocking of associations to odors may be considered as an attempt to avoid stimulation of unresolved infantile conflicts.

A respiratory reflex has been described which has the purpose of denying further access of odors to the lungs. The hypothesis has been presented that in some patients the asthma attack is a means of physiologically defending against the activation by odors of unresolved childhood conflicts.

Further investigation is required of the psychological role of odors in asthma. This must include not only consideration of childhood experiences, but genetic and constitutional factors which involve the olfactory and respiratory systems.

Note:

Assistant Professor, Mental Health Career Investigator, National Institutes of Health, United States Public Health Service.

Instructor and Fellow of the American Fund for Psychiatry.

Submitted on June 7, 1957




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