Frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Submitted by a member of the AsthmaStory.com forum

Many myths exist when it comes to testing and treating people who have asthma caused by mycoplasma or chlamydia pneumonia. Before buying into any of them, consider the following.

Understand that this is just one persons opinion and is not meant to advise or recommend any specific course of action. However, this information may help you to convince or educate your doctor.

First, some think blood tests are too inaccurate in order to determine whether a patient has mycoplasma or chlamydia pneumonia. Researchers are currently working to refine and set standards for these blood tests. In the meantime, the current blood tests are adequate, unless one wishes to undergo the invasive procedure of having a (more accurate) bronchscopy performed. In fact, serology is the basic strategy used in clinical practices to determine presence of mycoplasma, etc.

Second, thinking six to twelve weeks of antibiotics is unconventional doesn't make sense, given the fact that people are often on antibiotics for longer periods of time for other ailments. We invite people to look up the risks involved in taking Azithromycin for example, and you'll see that the testing done for approval of this drug involved people taking it for twelve weeks. Evidence showing risk wasn't high unless someone had a liver problem.

Third, the argument that antibiotic resistance is a concern is debatable, considering people with mycoplasma and c. pneumonia as the cause for their asthma, are often sick and frequently take various antibiotics many times during the year anyway.

Fourth, the argument that it's too risky to use this treatment on patients with severe asthma and that more evidence needs to be gathered before doctors start treating patients with asthma caused by mycoplasma and c. pneumonia doesn't take into account the adverse side affects of leaving this bacterial infection in our system.

By expecting those of us with unresolved mycoplasma and c. pneumonia bacteria in our bodies to just live with these bacterial infections dooms us to a severely reduced quality of life. Plus it ignores the following risks we could be exposed to:

The risks of being on antibiotics several times a year for secondary infections caused when illness creates a flare up of the bacterial infection,

The risk of having countless cortisone shots and prednisone bursts over the years,

Having numerous bouts of bronchitis and pneumonia,

Suffering severe asthma attacks that lead to trips to the emergency room. In Jim Quinlan's case, his heart had already stopped and EMT's were able to revive him. Others are not so lucky.

The financial strain of paying for expensive asthma medicine and from lost wages from being sick so often.

If the risk of being on a twelve week course of Azithromycin is more dangerous than the above described items, then ask yourself why longer rounds of antibiotics are being prescribed for less severe afflictions? Are the doctors prescribing them being reckless?


Finally, the argument that "this is all anecdotal evidence" is not true. It suggests that the information being provided consists of personal stories from a handful of people making unscientific observations, when in fact controlled studies have taken place throughout the years.

Good doctors use anecdotal evidence all the time. Doctors often prefer one medication, method of treatment or approach to a problem "based on what I've heard from my patients". This is anecdotal evidence. When a doctor prescribes a drug for a longer period of time than what is considered the norm, because he or she has "seen it takes this long with most of my patients", they are making this decision and treating their patients differently than they once did, based on anecdotal evidence. But again, there have been controlled studies that link these bacteria to asthma, so the argument that it's all anecdotal isn't valid.

One more thing to consider - The long term effects of Atypical Pneumonias

Both Mycoplasma and Chlamydia pneumonias, the primary atypical pneumonias, are usually mild. Some research is suggesting, however, that they may have certain adverse long-term effects even in healthy younger individuals.

Heart Disease and Stroke. Research has suggested that the Chlamydia (C.) pneumoniae may trigger an immune response that causes inflammation and damage over time in the arteries or heart muscle. In a 2000 study, C. pneumoniae was associated with a thickening in the carotid artery which leads to the brain. Nevertheless, studies on a causal relationship between C. pneumonia and heart disease or stroke have been mixed. The most recent ones have found no strong association between the infection and heart disease while others downstate a possible link.

Neurologic Diseases. Some research suggests that C. pneumonia may affect the brain. Researchers have also detected C. pneumoniae in areas of the brain affected by Alzheimer's but not in other areas, suggesting that the inflammatory response may contribute to this dreaded disease.

Another study reported an association between Chlamydia and multiple sclerosis, another neurologic disease caused by the inflammatory process. Asthma. Chlamydia pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and the respiratory syncytial virus are becoming important suspects in many cases of severe adult asthma. (Serious respiratory infections that occur in early childhood, however, probably do not play a role in asthma that develops in adulthood.)

Supporting Links:

Chlamydia pneumoniae and Cardiovascular Disease

Atherosclerosis in dialysis patients: does Chlamydia pneumoniae infection contribute to cardiovascular damage?


Chlamydia pneumoniae Binds to Platelets and Triggers P-Selectin Expression and Aggregation

How serious is Pneumonia?