Dust Mite Induced Asthma and Its Prevention

I am going to talk to you today, about dust mites and their role in causing Asthma attacks and allergies.

The tips that I am going to give you today will go a long way in preventing asthma and help you lead a healthy asthma and allergy free life.

Dust mites are tiny little creatures which cause a huge impact on one’s health and which are invisible to the naked eye and can only be viewed under a microscope. You cannot see them but they are always there inducing allergy in allergic prone people. Dust mites are white in color and have eight legs instead of six so they are classed as arthropods. They are named so because they are an integral component of dust no matter how clean you try to keep your house.

Imagine thousands of these mites crawling around in your bed, your sofas and even your stuffed toys.

The thought is enough to give you goose bumps and yet it is true. Dust mites thrive in almost any environment except Antarctica. So unless you live on the frozen ice caps of Southern pole, there’s no escaping them. They can sustain well in temperatures of 68 to 77 Fahrenheit and in relative humidity of 70 to 80 percent. They die when humidity levels fall below 40 to 50 percent so they cannot exist in dry environments.

The dust mite doesn’t have any eyes or a respiratory system. It leads a short miserable life of about 2 to 4 months and spends its life moving about, eating and spewing out waste product. A female can lay as many as a hundred eggs in her lifetime and it takes 2 to 5 weeks for a mite to develop from an egg to adult.

A dust mite hasn’t got any demanding requirements. You will be surprised to know that it feeds off tiny fragments of skin which human beings shed every day. We humans can shed 1.5 grams of skin a day and the dust mites’ feast on this organic matter. Apart from that, if you view your house under a microscope, the spit, sweat and organic matter that gets accumulated every day presents a horrifying picture. These materials are just the ideal breeding ground for dust mites.

We should know how this minute creature can cause allergic reactions and especially asthma so that we can take preventive measures. As already described that the dust mites feed off organic matter like skin flakes and body hair etc, they digest it and produce waste material. This waste contains a protein called allergen which causes allergic reaction in most people. The horrific fact about a dust mite is that it can produce waste up to 200 times its body weight!

Imagine lying on a carpet or a mattress which is crawling with thousands of dust mites. If you are an asthmatic, you will be left gasping for air as soon as you come in contact with these little devils. It is not only the waste they produce but the mites themselves have certain proteins in their exoskeletons which can cause allergic reactions. People start to itch and wheeze once they come in contact with the mites and their skin develops red spots. They can also leave you with a runny nose so any inexplicable outbreak should ring a bell in your head that it might be induced by dust mites.

A question must be nagging you that if there are dust mites in your house, is your house clean or not? Let me tell you that your house might be the cleanest house in the world and it can still have dust mites. The reason is because these creatures are mostly found deeply buried in your carpets, mattresses and upholstery. No matter how much you use the vacuum cleaner, you will not be able to eliminate the mites completely. There are ways however to lessen the effect of dust mites.

The first step you can take to get rid of these creatures is to install a dehumidifier in your house. Set the dehumidifier at a level of 55 percent which will cause the death of these dust mites.

If you are fond of keeping pets and are faced with a dilemma whether to keep them and keep suffering from asthma, you don’t have to worry anymore. Install a HEPA Air Cleaner in your house so that it keeps the air clean of any animal droppings or their hair. Usually the safest option is to keep the animal out of the house.

Nowadays there are zip covers available for cushions, mattresses and sofas which have anti allergen protection. These clothes have got special pores inside them which do not allow the dust mites to pass and reside in their favorite sanctuaries.

Until Next time, I wish you and yours only the very best of health!

Disclaimer

It is important to note that information contained in this post is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Any questions regarding a medical diagnosis or treatment should be directed to a medical practitioner.

Asthma and Smoke, Bushfires and Asthma

Even though this post is dedicated to bushfires, the effects for the asthmatic are the same in heavy smogged areas caused by log/coal fires.

That said – let’s get on with the post.

Summer time in Australia and other parts of the world can be particularly problematic for people with asthma if they have a bushfire problem.

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Thunderstorms and Asthma

Hello everyone,

This latest post is one that I think is so very important. It doesn’t matter where in the world you are, this can happen – Thunderstorm induced asthma.
As you know, thunderstorms more often than not combine heavy rain, high humidity and strong winds.

Read more

The Asthma Epidemic – Do you know the facts?

Asthma was first recognized and named by Hippocrates circa 450 BC

Asthma is a condition that affects the airways – the small tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs. Asthma involves only the bronchial tubes and does not affect the air sacs (alveoli) or the lung tissue (the parenchyma of the lung) itself. Asthma is a lung disease that makes breathing difficult for nearly 23 million Americans, including 7 million children plus it is common in industrialized nations such as Canada, England, Australia, Germany, and New Zealand, 1 or 2 kids out of 10 are affected.

Asthma attacks can last minutes to days and can become dangerous if airflow to the lungs becomes severely restricted. Asthma is a chronic condition characterized by inflammation of the airways in the lungs and by the spasm of muscles surrounding these airways, these attacks may occur at anytime, but there are risk factors that can trigger an attack.

Asthma can’t be cured, but its symptoms can be controlled, causes can be different in each case, and therefore individualized therapy is wise and in fact I would state PARAMOUNT.  Asthma affects people of all ages, but it most often starts in childhood however, one must realize they can happen for the first time at any age.

Asthma and allergies are the most common chronic childhood diseases, characterized by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing, which vary in severity and frequency from person to person. Symptoms may be mild, moderate, or severe and often runs in families meaning you can inherit the tendency to get inflamed airways.

One thing that Asthmatics should do is limit time spent outdoors on high ozone days.

Symptoms of an asthma attack can include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. Symptoms range from mild to moderate to severe and can be life-threatening.

Treatment

Treatments, along with removing triggers, aim to restore normal activities of daily living by reducing the frequency, severity, and length of your asthma attacks.

Lung

Lung function tests and skin tests can help to confirm the disease.

Attacks can be triggered by stress, anxiety, cold air, smoke, or a virus. Attacks are caused by the airways over-reacting to certain environmental factors, and can be only occasional or frequent.

Medications

Medications that provide long-term relief include corticosteroids, beta agonists, leukotriene modifiers, Cromolyn, and Nedocromil.  Medications can reduce the symptoms of asthma a great deal, but may not be able to eliminate coughing fully.

Allergy

Allergy plays a key role in about half of all asthma cases.

Breathing

Breathing becomes harder and may hurt, and there may be coughing.

Severe

Severe asthma attacks may require emergency care as they can cause death.

Inhaler

Inhalers (sometimes called “puffers”) contain a gas that propels the correct dose of medicine either when the top is pressed down or on inhalation (some inhalers may be dry powder inhalers).

Allergens

Allergens also may originate from food and food additives and pollens.

Research

Researchers are beginning to see that exposure to certain irritants when you are very young may play a role in the development of asthma. Researchers have also found a link between asthma and obesity.

Exposure

Exposure to irritants, certain chemicals, or substances in your workplace may increase your chances of developing occupational asthma.

Asthma cannot be cured, but appropriate management can control the disorder and enable people to enjoy a good quality of life. Asthma is classified as:

Mild intermittent: Having mild symptoms up to 2 days a week and 2 nights a month.

Mild persistent: Having symptoms more than 2 days a week but not more than one time in a single day.

Moderate persistent: Having symptoms once a day and more than one night per week.

Severe persistent: Having symptoms throughout the day on most days and often at night.

I invite you to go to my new blog on Asthma and take a look, you will find so much information there, plus a store where you can INVEST in YOUR HEALTH or the HEALTH OF YOUR FAMILY.

Until Next time,

I wish you and yours the best of Health!

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http://twitter.com/BestAsthmaInfo

Disclaimer

It is important to note that information contained in this post is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Any questions regarding a medical diagnosis or treatment should be directed to a medical practitioner.

Know your medication – Asthma Inhalers (Puffers)

Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition that affects people of any age and is generally considered to be incurable but livable with. With correct monitoring and treatment, asthma should not be a life-threatening illness – and even when it is, only a small percentage of sufferers have severe enough asthma to warrant special measures.

Understanding your asthma is the key to controlling it and you can do this by learning how to use your MDI inhalers correctly. By doing this your Asthma should not dominate your life no matter how severe your asthma is. Most sufferers continue with their usual lives with no issues whatsoever.  

My Daughter is a prime example of someone who has chronic asthma, but lives a normal life. In fact when a child, she swam, was in a dance troupe, doing jazz ballet, had a pony on which she went riding everyday. Groomed and mucked out the stables. Granted, there times if she caught a virus, where she was slowed down some, however, life went on as normal as she was given her medication correctly and ALWAYS had her Reliever/Rescue Inhaler at arms length.

One must realize that when properly medicated, asthma is, for the majority, easily dealt with.

The key weapons in your arsenal against asthma are your inhalers – you must have a complete understanding of your medication or your child’s medication.  

The first step in getting to know your metered dose inhaler is to understand the medicine that it contains. Asthma medications are divided into 2 types:

“Preventative Inhalers”

Preventative inhalers are exactly as the name suggests, and are to be used as prevention rather than a cure for asthma. They tend to be steroid-based, and are designed to prevent asthma attacks.

“Reliever or “Rescue” Inhalers”

If the preventative inhaler has not been able to fully do its job, the reliever steps in. The reliever is the inhaler you need when you are suffering an attack or when the symptoms of a pending attack are present and is designed to combat the problem quickly and effectively.

I will not go into which is which and how to identify which one etc in this blog post, as different countries have different colored inhalers plus each person is an individual will have an asthma plan to suit THEIR needs. (If you do have one, you need to talk to your doctor!)

I advise you to speak to your Respiratory Physician to ensure you know which inhaler is which and how and when to take if effectively, plus ask for a Patient Advice sheet on each medication, so you fully understand what each inhaler contains, any side effects – for instance my daughter used to get the shakes for a few minutes after taking one particular medication – this apparently was normal so the more you know about the medication being prescribed the better.

Until Next time,

I wish you and yours the best of Health!

Follow Us on Twitter

http://twitter.com/BestAsthmaInfo

Disclaimer

It is important to note that information contained in this post is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Any questions regarding a medical diagnosis or treatment should be directed to a medical practitioner

Asthma Questions: Adult Asthma

Question: I have always thought of asthma as the kind of illness that is identified in childhood. I’m 34, and I was recently diagnosed with asthma. Is it possible to suddenly start suffering from asthma so late in life?

Answer:

Asthma is predominantly identified in children, who are more susceptible to the inflammation of the lungs that causes asthma. Almost 90% of cases are identified before the sufferer reaches the age of 16, as a combination of children being easily distressed and monitoring by their parents helps to pinpoint the illness.

It is, however, completely possible for someone to get in to their 30s or 40s and only then is it discovered that they have asthma. While the illness can suddenly manifest itself – usually due to a lifelong exposure to an asthma irritant, such as certain chemicals or allergens – in most cases, late-diagnosis asthma is not due to a sudden development of the condition. Usually, if it takes 20 or 30 years to identify the condition, it is relatively mild and has not presented much of a noticeable problem for the sufferer until then. This is quite usual, and simple things like moving in to a more polluted environment or beginning a new job around chemicals may make a long-hidden asthma condition become known.

The prognosis of adult-diagnosed asthma is very good, providing you are willing to learn how to use your inhalers properly and how best to manage the condition. Read up as much about the illness as possible to inform yourself, as it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Asthma Questions: Can A Child “Grow Out” Of Asthma?

Question: My daughter is six years old, and I recently took her to the doctor as I had noticed she was occasionally struggling to breathe and was coughing a lot. She was diagnosed with mild asthma and given two inhalers to use, which seem to be doing the job. I have, however, heard that sometimes children of my daughter’s age “grow out” of asthma and it does not effect them as a child. Is there any truth in this?

Answer:

There is actually some truth in this – perhaps not in medical record, but certainly in people’s experience of young children with asthma. Some children do indeed appear to “grow out” of asthma, and do not need to use inhalers or suffer attacks in their adult life.

There are various theories for this; the main one being that a child’s developing lungs are more sensitive, and this can make a mild tendency towards asthma seem more serious than it actually is. When the child grows up, their asthma appears to almost vanish, as their lungs grow and mature.

However, the concept of children never suffering from asthma again in their adult life is very rare – many childhood sufferers will find their illness returns as they age, particularly in their 50s and 60s. Hoping that your child’s asthma will fade away as they grow is natural, though it is important to be realistic. This is particularly true if your child has moderate to severe asthma, as this is less likely to be improved with age.

Learning To Live With Asthma

Asthma is a respiratory illness, caused by an inflammation and subsequent narrowing of the ‘tubes’ of the lungs (medically known as the bronchi). It is largely incurable but is not life threatening, and for many asthma sufferers it is merely a matter of learning to shape their life around asthma and discovering tips on how to deal with it.

When one first receives an asthma diagnosis, there is a natural reaction of shock and upset. Asthma is a chronic condition, and when diagnosed in adults will tend to be with the person for the rest of their life. This shocked and saddened reaction is completely natural, but it is important to focus on the fact that asthma is very, very rarely fatal – and even then, usually only in conjunction with other medical problems.

Asthma is an illness that needs to be recognized in a daily lifestyle, but not given in to. With correct, inhalation-based treatment, the vast majority of asthma cases can be controlled – and the sufferer will live a normal life, providing they take the correct precautions. Asthma does not mean the end of being able to exercise or enjoy life – it merely means learning what works for you, what triggers an attack and how to prevent it.

Simple changes can make big differences to the life of an asthma sufferer. Things like switching from chemical-based cleaning products to natural solutions have great effects, and avoiding smoky places also makes a big difference. Asthma is controllable, and with the correct medication and a little due care and attention, people may never need know someone has it.

The Ins and Outs of Asthma Treatment

Although asthma is defined as a chronic (i.e. long term) illness, it is not usually life threatening – and for most sufferers becomes more of an annoyance than a genuine threat to their well-being. As one of the most common non-life-threatening illnesses in the world, asthma is well studied by medical research scientists, and as a result there are several treatments available.

By far the best known asthma treatment is via medicine inhalation. The primary medicines used in inhalers are beta-2 agonists (for relieving an acute attack of asthma) and corticosteroids (for preventing attacks). These medications come in a variety of doses depending on the severity of the sufferers’ condition, and are inhaled directly in to the lungs using an inhaler (sometimes known as a ‘puffer’). As these treatments go directly to the source of the issue by entering the lungs immediately, they have long been proven to be the most effective asthma treatment.

Another option is steroid treatment, usually in tablet form. However, a course of steroids is usually only ever prescribed following a severe asthma attack – usually of the kind of severity that results in hospitalization The vast majority of sufferers will never need anything beyond their combination of inhalers to deal with their illness.

The concluding option is also only used in the case of a severe attack, though is an option during the attack rather than following it. Nebulizers create a mixture of water and air, through which one can inhale a purer form of the usual medication used in inhalers. Nebulizers tend to be carried on emergency calls and at hospitals, though some sufferers’ of extremely severe asthma may be offered one at home.

Asthma and Cough (Asthma Cough)

Today I would like to discuss a very distressing symptom that many Asthmatics experience, and that is coughing and being unable to take their inhalers.

This can sometimes occur in the winter time with the Asthmatic waking up in the middle of the night coughing or first thing in the morning. A sharp drop in the temperature of the room overnight can cause this; one way of combating the problem is to have a small heater on low in the bedroom each night, thus keeping the room at an even temperature. On saying that please making sure it is a heater that is completely safe and has a good energy rating.  Also make sure that the room has no draughts and that the curtains are closed, so the heat does not escape. We had to to do this for our daughter from when she was a baby.  Now married the practice still goes on!

However, there can be other causes for coughing, but firstly let’s look at what a cough is – A cough is a sudden, explosive exhalation of air. The function of a cough is to clear material from the airways. Coughing is a familiar but reasonable complicated reflex and is one way in which the lungs and airways are protected.

Coughing only occurs when the airways are irritated –

Respiratory infections, either bacterial or viral can irritate the airways and are a common cause of coughing.

Allergies are a big cause of irritation to the airways as well and may cause postnasal drip, in which nasal secretions drain down the back of the nose into the throat and sometimes into the trachea and other airways, where they produce irritation resulting in Coughing.  Many Asthmatics have continuous Post Nasal Drip.

Coughing may also result from gastroesophageal reflux, in which stomach or oesophageal contents flow backward from the oesophagus into the trachea and airways, producing irritation.

We would advise you see expert advice from Your Medical Practitioner/Respiratory Physician regarding the cause of your cough and a management plan tailored to suit you.

That’s all I have for you today on Asthma and Cough (Asthma Cough)

Until Next time,

I wish you and yours the best of Health!

Follow Us on Twitter

http://twitter.com/BestAsthmaInfo

Disclaimer

It is important to note that information contained in this post is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Any questions regarding a medical diagnosis or treatment should be directed to a medical practitioner.

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