Why do humidity and cold air trigger asthma?

Both humidity and cold air are common asthma triggers.  The question is why?  This was a topic I delved into in a recent post at MyAsthmaCentarl.com

Here’s Why Humidity and Cold Air Trigger Asthma @ MyAsthmaCentral.com

Every asthmatic, and every asthmatic mom and dad, should be aware that both humidity and cold air are two very common asthma triggers. So why is this? What can you do about it?

It’s been common wisdom for years that humidity and cold air helps with croup, or swelling of the voice box and trachea.   Put a croupy kid in the hot and steamy bathroom and the swelling gets better.

Another method that often works for croup is taking the child outside in the cold winter air.  This is why many times when a parent decides to take the child to the hospital, the child is fine by the time they arrive in the emergency room.

This is true for croup, so many doctors of old believed it must also be true for asthma. Yet it was a fallacy, and now — thankfully — most doctors are aware of this fallacy. In fact, now doctors are aware that both cold air and humidity can actually trigger an asthma attack.

When I was little boy way back in the 1970s my pediatrician recommended my parents have me sit in the hot steamy bathroom when I was having trouble breathing. It was also recommended I have a humidifier in my room.

Both of these made my asthma worse, not better. Yet I was a kid, so how was I to tell my parents that?  My doctor and parents thought they were doing something good, yet their wisdom was flawed.

I wrote a post before how low and high humidity can trigger asthma. Studies show that a humidity of 50 percent or greater may lead to a greater incidence of asthma trouble.

Two common theories for this are:

1. Humid air is heavier and harder to breathe


2. Humid air harbors fungus, molds and dust mites that trigger asthma

Humid air is most often a problem in the summer months, especially in August and September.

(On a side note here, when I was a kid there was also a fear that air conditioners were bad for asthma.  That was a fallacy that lead to many uncomfortable August car rides).

As I wrote before, I also remember having asthma trouble when my brothers and I would go sledding. I’d usually have to quit early and arduously walk home with my asthma symptoms raging.

Now we have research that shows air that is too dry can also trigger asthma. Air tends to be drier in the winter months. The reason for this is that the colder the air the less water it can hold.

When you inhale cold air that is dry this can dry the mucus membranes lining your lungs that are your bodies natural defense mechanisms against viruses and bacteria. So this can lead to increased infections too. And Lord knows viral infections are the most common asthma trigger.

Dry mucus membranes can also aggravate allergy symptoms. And considering 75 percent of asthmatics have allergies, this likewise is important.

Now that you understand that dry air can trigger asthma, consider the following:

1. Exercise can trigger asthma: As I write in more detail here, rapidly breathing in air dries inspired air, which ultimately dries the airway, which then releases histamine that can increase inflammation of the air passages in your lungs. This then leads to bronchospasm. The fact runners tend to breathe through their mouths only exacerbates this problem because the nose is a better humidifier than the mouth.

2. Mouth breathing can trigger asthma: Your nose humidifies inspired air, so if you breathe through your mouth this air is not getting humidified enough. This is especially important during the winter months when the air is drier. Studies have linked nasal congestion with severe asthma, and I think this is one of the main reasons — those with sinus trouble breathe through their mouths.

3. Cold air triggers asthma: Again, this is true because the colder the air the less humid the air is. This is why asthmatics, especially those with exercise induced asthma, have trouble exercising outside when the air is cold. Rapid breathing of cold, dry air triggers asthma as noted above.

To prevent asthma the The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends humidity be set between 35 percent and 50 percent. Humidifiers can be used in the winter months, and air conditioners and dehumidifiers in the summer months.

However, with good asthma control most asthmatics should still be able to exercise. Likewise, as I write here, many Olympians with asthma are still able to perform during the Winter Olympics.

It’s good wisdom to know that cold air, dry air, and humid air can trigger asthma. It’s also important to know that by working with your doctor to control your asthma you should still be able to continue doing the things you love most.
Facebook
Twitter

Facebook: a new trigger for asthma?

Doctors are warning that Facebook could trigger extreme stress reactions after a teenager suffered asthma attacks caused by seeing his ex-girlfriend online.

The depressed 18-year-old, who was denied access to her site after the break-up, was able to log back in using a made-up nickname.

But the shock of seeing her brought on an asthma attack, which was repeated each time he looked at his ex-girlfriend’s profile.

The Daily Mail article

The Lancet Article

Wow! Another interesting article and stress for asthma!

Do strong smells trigger asthma?

The following post was originally published at asthmacentral.com/asthma on October 13, 2011 under “Do Strong Smells Trigger Asthma? Here’s What You Can Do.”

Do strong smells bother your asthma?  If so you are not alone, and you are not weird, and it’s not all in your head. In fact, a study from the University of West Georgia found that as many as 30 percent of Americans have a sensitivity to strong smells.

By strong smells I’m referring to the following:

• Perfumes


• Deodorant


• Nail polish


• Paint fumes


• Cologne


• After shave


• Air fresheners


• etc.

Strong smells are not visible, and they are not — like dust mites, cockroach urine, and molds — allergens.  They are not chemicals or substances.  They are simply smells that are proven by various studies to trigger the asthma and allergy response, or cause headaches.

The exact mechanism is not known.  It’s also not possible to do a scientific study because it’s not like you can take a smell, put it into a syringe, and insert it under your skin to see if it causes a response.  You can do that with allergens, but not smells.

The University of West Georgia study, as Stanley M. Caress and Ann C. Steinemann wrote inthis report from the March, 2009 (Volume 71 number 7) issue of Journal of Environmental Health, just over 2,000 people were surveyed of which about 30 percent reported a sensitivity to strong smells.

More specifically, 19 percent reported an adverse effect to air fresheners, 10 percent reported an adverse effect to laundry products.  

Strong smells have been listed as a major asthma trigger for many years.  Caress and Steinemann note a study done in 2006 linking strong smells with reduced lung function, and a study from 1995 linking strong smells with chest tightness and wheezing, and study from 2004 linking strong smells with mucosal irritation. 

In fact, I had strong smells on my personal list of asthma triggers going way back to 1985.  My doctor long ago warned me about wearing perfumes and strong scented deodorants, and back when I had hardluck asthma I was better off avoiding the laundry section in grocery stores.

I was always lucky in that most people I associated myself with didn’t wear strong scented perfumes and stuff, yet from time to time I’d come across someone who did at school and it would more often than not result in an asthma attack.  Yet it’s not like you can just walk up to a stranger and say, “hey, will you wash that cologne off your body?”

Recently I received an email from a reader of my RT Cave blog, and she wrote, “During the summer I live with my 3 sisters.  All of them are obsessed with nail polish and apply it every day.  Whenever I smell the polish my lungs clamp up and give me a hard time.  I have given up telling them that as they complain, ignore me, and say it’s in my head.  Is it in my head?”

I responded by reassuring her it’s not all in her head.  I also assured her I had a similar problem, and so do many of my asthmatic friends.  Our lungs are simply sensitive even to something as simple as a strong smell.  And it’s best if we avoid such strong smells, yet trying to get others to understand this is a major conundrum.

So what can you do? You can:

1.  Have a rule:   Where I work we have a rule: no strong smelling perfumes or colognes.  Of course it helps I work in a hospital with asthmatics and other chronic lungers.  You can create such a rule at your home, yet good luck getting your mom who has been wearing strong perfume for the past 50 years to follow your rule.

2.  Explain your plight:  A good friend might empathize with you, or maybe even a fellow asthmatic.  Yet it’s hard to understand what you cannot see or feel.  Another problem here is when you leave your home there are way too many people who wear smelly perfumes and such, and it’s not possible to approach them all.   So again, this is often a dead end road.

3.  Educate: You can print off studies like the one I linked to above.  Another good article is this one.  Unless your friend is dogmatic, you’d think he’d comply with the evidence.  I tried this once with my grandma and she complied for a month or so when I was around, then she forgot. 

4.  Do your best:  This might be the most do-able, because while you can’t control what others do, you have complete control over yourself.  Do your best to avoid the smells that trigger your asthma, and do your best to avoid being around people who wear strong smelling stuff.  Likewise, avoid the laundry section of stores if possible.  

Oh, and you also must do your best to be a Gallant Asthmatic. 

Easier said than done, hey?  So what’s your experience with strong smells.