• E Millqvist, B Bake, U Bengtsson, and O Löwhagen.
• Asthma and Allergy Centre, University of Göteborg, Sahlgrenska Hospital, Sweden.
• Allergy. 1995 Mar 1; 50 (3): 221-4.

AbstractWe 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 degrees 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 FEV1 of 32% in the group without a face mask. The corresponding fall in FEV1 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.

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