Asthma: A national message

As air pollution and this year's steaming summer exacerbate asthma for both children and adults, the EPA and the American Lung Association have come together to spread the word on prevention in the video below:

Find out more on EPA's website: http://www.epa.gov/asthma


Air purifiers help clean the air in your home so asthma sufferers can breathe more easily. AllerAir's Asthma and Allergy air purifiers feature deep-bed activated carbon filters and medical-grade HEPA filters to extract harmful gases, chemicals and particles from the air.

For more information on our units, contact AllerAir today.

Helping people with asthma

Asthma affects millions of Americans
and many children.

Asthma Awareness Month turns the spotlight on chronic respiratory disease

May is a busy month in terms of awareness campaigns. Not only is May MCS Awareness Month, it also has been dedicated as Asthma Awareness Month.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants the public to become more aware of the growing rates of asthma and how it affects families and communities around them.

The chronic respiratory disease affects almost 26 million Americans, 7 million of which are children. The condition is also widespread among low income and minority populations.

Asthma is a concern not only for those who suffer from it, but society in general because of the indirect costs involved for the healthcare system, economy and lifestyle.

In many cases, asthma can be caused or aggravated by indoor and outdoor air pollution and other toxins.

The EPA suggests the following tips to keep asthma under control:

• Know your asthma triggers and avoid them – Triggers may include air pollutants, dust mites, secondhand smoke, cockroaches and mold.
• Create an asthma action plan – Daily asthma management is essential, this includes reducing exposure to triggers
• Get active – Sports and activities contribute to an overall feeling of well-being
• Be ‘air aware’ – Plan your outdoor activities around local air quality conditions to help prevent attacks. For smart phones, a mobile app may be available for updates in the Air Quality Index.

Source: EPA press release

Remove asthma triggers from your indoor air

With North Americans spending so much time indoors, indoor air pollution has become a major concern for those affected by asthma.

AllerAir's AirMedic Series is
great for particles, asthma triggers
and other indoor air concerns.

With source control, good ventilation and air cleaning, anyone can improve their indoor air quality.

The best air purifiers feature safe and proven air filters that can remove a wide range of indoor air contaminants, including dust, particles, mold, bacteria, viruses, chemicals, odors and gases.

All of these pollutants can contribute to the inflammation to airways, so keeping the air as clean and contaminant-free as possible must be a No. 1 priority.

AllerAir has developed high-quality air purifiers for allergy and asthma, which include a medical-grade HEPA filter as well as a deep-bed activated carbon filter and optional UV germicidal filtration to remove the above-mentioned pollutants.

An air purifier in the bedroom can make the difference for effective asthma management. See a recent blog post about a study on the benefits of air purifiers in the bedroom.

Contact AllerAir for more information and options.
  
Related posts:

• Children, asthma and indoor air pollution
• Mold exposure in infancy increases asthma risk
• Ask Us: Air Purifiers for Allergy and Asthma

New York Daily News: Indoor Air Filter Recommended for Asthma Prevention

This article was published in the New York Daily News: 

As director of pediatric emergency medicine at Mount Sinai, Dr. Adam Vella treats patients under the age of 22 for everything from cardiac emergencies to ear infections and broken arms. Every day, as many as 10 kids come through his ER as a as a result of severe asthma attacks.

Who's at risk
Summer can be a dangerous time for children with asthma, as humidity, temperatures, air pollution and pollen counts all rise. "Asthma is an allergy specific to the lungs, where the airways are hyper-reactive and respond to allergens by shutting down," says Vella. "Though millions of adults have asthma, too, it's even more common in kids, many of whom will grow out of it."

About one in 10 American children is living with asthma. "It's a genetic predisposition that responds to an environmental trigger," says Vella. "For these kids, an asthma attack can be triggered by a simple cold or an airborne allergen like pollen."

The long list of common triggers includes viral infections, dust, pollen, cockroaches, animals and house pets, pollution and changes in the weather.

Anyone can have an asthma attack, but kids with chronic asthma end up in the ER or doctor's office again and again.

"Generally it's kids with a genetic predisposition who end up with chronic asthma, also called reactive airway disease," says Vella. "In the past 10 years, asthma is just getting more and more common — and so far, we don't know why."

Certain groups are at higher risk of  developing asthma than others.

"Asthma is more common in kids who were preemies, kids with reflux and kids with heart conditions," says Vella. "But the biggest chunk of kids just have a genetic predisposition."
 
Children living in inner cities are at higher risk of severe asthma because their environment is full of triggers like pollution, cockroaches and fungus.

Signs and symptoms
Asthma is easy to identify once you know the signs. "The classic symptoms are shortness of breath with coughing, trouble catching breath, and fast breathing," says Vella. "As opposed to a cold, which causes nasal congestion and cough, asthma is lower down in the lungs, so we can hear wheezing in the cough or when they breathe out."

It's important to take any trouble with breathing seriously.

"For a mom or dad at home, if it seems like your child is having difficulty breathing, don't blow that off," says Vella. "Once they start breathing faster than normal or they have trouble breathing, you should get on the phone with the pediatrician."

A trip to the ER may be necessary.

Fever on its own can also cause fast breathing, so treat the fever first and breathing should go back to normal.

Traditional treatment
Preventing asthma attacks from happening is the first line of defense.

"Reducing your kid's exposure to allergens is a key first step," says Vella. "That can be as simple as not letting them play on the grass right after it's been mown or not staying with relatives who smoke or have a pet."

Other allergens — like pollution, pollen and dust — may be impossible to avoid, but you can minimize exposure by taking steps like getting an indoor air filter and cleaning the filter on your air conditioner.

While no one can avoid all allergens, the current generation of drugs offers many ways of managing the disease. "For most kids, medicine is taken when they feel the onset of an attack," says Vella.

"They start to feel shortness of breath and take two puffs on their inhaler."
The most common of these broncho-dilators is albuterol, which is often taken as two puffs every four hours.

"The sooner your child takes medication, the better."

As the attack goes on untreated, it gets harder to reverse," says Vella. "When kids come in with bad outcomes, it's usually because the parents delayed care."

Acute emergencies can lead to hospitalization and the insertion of a breathing tube. In the worst cases, asthma attacks can be fatal.

For kids at higher risk, low-dose steroids are an option as a controller medication and can cut down on the number of attacks.

"Not every kid with asthma needs an inhaled steroid, but a kid who is coming into the ER frequently should be on it," says Vella.

"There used to be some controversy about whether inhaled steroids stunt growth, but the studies have found these kids may grow slower for a few years, but then they catch up."

The good news for parents is that most kids will outgrow asthma.

"We can't tell which kids will outgrow it and which won't, but parents and doctors can work together to manage this disease," says Vella.

Research breakthroughs
Since millions of Americans are living with asthma — and cases are on the rise — there is booming research on providing better treatment. "There are a lot of new medications out there, including anti-inflammatories like Singulair," says Vella. "It's for kids who don't quite make the cut to go on an inhaled steroid, but could benefit from an alternative controller therapy."

Questions for your doctor
Parents need to take steps to learn how to take care of asthmatic children. Be sure to ask, "How can I recognize a significant asthma attack?" and "What's the first thing I should do when my child has an asthma attack?"

Medications are constantly changing, so ask "What medications are available for my child?" Even if you or your older children were treated for asthma with certain drugs, there probably is a better option for your child today.

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