Allergen Exposure Linked to Asthma

Exposure to elevated levels of allergens in the home are linked to asthma.

What may seem intuitive to many who suffer from allergies and asthma is that the two are linked. And now it's official: results from a recent national survey have found that "asthmatics that have allergies may alleviate symptoms by reducing allergen exposures inside their homes," as Medical News Today reports.

The study used data from the National Survey of Lead and Allergens in Housing (NSLAH) to look at factors that contribute to high allergen levels in homes. The researchers then looked for an association between elevated household allergen levels and occupants' asthma status. Their findings are the first to relate total allergen burden inside American homes and its relationship to asthma.

Principal Investigator in the Laboratory of Respiratory Biology at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Darryl Zeldin, M.D., states, "Indoor allergen exposures are of great importance in relation to asthma because most people spend a majority of their time indoors, especially at home." He further adds, "This study confirms that indoor allergens play a major role in asthma."

Another lead researcher of the NIEHS, Paivi Salo, Ph.D., says, "Our results highlight the importance of reducing exposure to allergens as a fundamental part of asthma management. Although homes cannot be made allergen free, asthmatics that have allergies may need to do a better job in reducing allergen levels in their homes to improve asthma control."

For more information, see How to Decrease Your Total Allergen Load.

Posted by Shifrah on Monday, March 03, 2008

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Allergen Exposure Linked to Asthma

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