Pope John Paul II had difficulty breathing last evening. Part of the reason was, he has the flu. But he had another condition called laryngospasm, which is a spasm of the larynx.
The larynx is the part of the windpipe that includes the voice box. Air passes through the vocal cords to get to the lungs. But laryngospasm occurs when the muscles controlling the vocal cords clamp together. It results in a sudden inability to get air in and out.
Laryngospasm is very scary, but typically, it’s a short-lived event, lasting less than a minute. It often happens in the middle of the night, awakening someone who is unable to breathe. “It can occur either because of inflammation or because of an allergic reaction. It might well be part of the respiratory illness on the other hand it might be some reaction to some food or medication that he had,” says Dr. Steven Baum, Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York.
According to papal spokespeople, the spasm was due to a condition called acute laryngo-tracheitis, or simply, an inflammation of the area, presumably due to the viral flu infection or another flu-like virus.
The fact the Pope, an older man with Parkinson’s disease, has the flu, is cause for concern. “The pope is in several classes of people who should have been vaccinated against influenza. Both by virtue of advanced age but certainly advanced age complicated by a serious and progressive chronic disease would be high on my list for getting an influenza vaccine at the beginning of the season,” says Dr. Baum.
More than 200,000 people in the united states are hospitalized each year for respiratory and heart conditions illnesses associated with influenza virus infections.
That’s why all adults 50 and older should be vaccinated this year, and if they haven’t gotten a vaccine, they should do so immediately.
“The mortality of influenza is highest among the aged and people with chronic diseases, so they’re not necessarily more prone to getting influenza, but if they do get it they’re more prone to getting a serious case with serious complication and sometimes those complications can include death,” says Dr. Baum.
According to the CDC, influenza activity was low in the United States during October through early December 2004, but has increased steadily since mid-December. Influenza activity does not appear to have peaked yet and could still continue for several months. The CDC says, for this reason, late-season vaccination can offer protection against influenza this season, and is especially appropriate for the high risk groups.