What is Catamenial Pneumothorax? What makes the lung collapse?

Question

My wife wants me to read the only book on this subject called, Living With Lung and Colon Endometriosis/Catamenial Pneumothorax by Glynis D. Wallace DMD. If this is a real disease, why is this the only book on the subject?

Answer 1

It is a real manifestation of the disease. Simply because there are not specific books on it, doesn't mean it's not real. There have been extensive mentions of this topic in all the various and sundry other Endo books that have been published over the years [example; a search on Amazon turns up the term referenced in over 40 books], and the medical literature is literally replete with coverage of it [ref: PubMed]. Even the book discussed above shares the title with "colon Endometriosis." I assure you, this is a real thing which is affecting real women. The book above is a must-read; highly recommended.

Answer 2

Because no one can pronounce it. *snort* Seriously, this sounds more technical than a lay person would want to read through, and catamenial pneumothorax is a relatively rare complication resulting from endometriosis, so the audience for this book is probably pretty small.

It is, however, a possibility, and endometriosis itself is not so uncommon, so if I were you, I would broaden my search to books on endometriosis and see if they mention catamenial pneumothorax. You'll probably have to dig a while to find anything that mentions it more than just in passing.

For anybody else who reads this question: endometriosis is when tissue normally found lining the uterus grows elsewhere in the body. Normally shed each month during menses, this extra tissue has nowhere to go and sloughs off inside the woman's body cavity, causing all sorts of problems (usually forming adhesions and scar tissue, even tumors) Sometimes, this affects the diaphragm or even the lungs and heart -- depends on where the extra tissue grows and where it can go. Catamenial pneumothorax is suspected to be caused by this, since it involves the sudden and unexpected collapse of a lung (most often the right one) due to matter collecting in the pleural space surrounding the lungs. When it happens monthly around the time of menses, it's the first strong indication that catamenial pneumothorax is the problem, rather than some other cause.

Answer 3

Catamenial Pneumothorax has been added to the rare disease list at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). There are several articles from all over the world on this subject. Catamenial Pneumothorax is caused by endometriosis on the lung releasing fluid every month in conjunction with the menstrual period. Air moves in by an unknown mechanism, all of which causes the lung to collapse. 3 to 6% of all women diagnosed with a pneumothorax suffer from this disease.