Media
2009-05-05
Reducing asthma triggers
For immediate release April 27, 2009
While melting snow may be a relief to some, it may be an asthma hazard to many if it leads to a damp home.
With World Asthma Day approaching, on May 5, 2009, AllerGen researcher, Dr. Tim Takaro, Associate Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University is reminding people to keep moisture out of the home in order to control asthma.
“When moisture builds up indoors, particularly in carpets, moulds, bacteria dust mites and roaches (which have all been linked to the development of asthma and asthma morbidity) can all proliferate,” says Dr. Takaro.
Dr. Takaro is part of AllerGen’s Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) study, a groundbreaking national birth cohort that tracks 5,000 Canadian infants from pregnancy through to early childhood.
The CHILD study is looking at the roles that indoor and outdoor environmental exposures, infections, nutrition and genetic factors play in the development of asthma and allergy.
The pilot phases of this study (mini-CHILD and CHILD pilot) successfully recruited almost 300 mothers and Dr. Takaro and fellow researchers are currently analyzing the immune function in the collected blood samples and measuring environmental asthma triggers in homes of the study participants.
“We know that Canadian children spend 80-90% of their early life indoors, that’s why it is extremely important to identify asthma triggers inside the home,” says Takaro.
Moisture and dampness, poor ventilation, crowding, pest infestations, residence in multi-unit dwellings, deteriorated carpeting and structural deficits are all indoor triggers of asthma.
“There are several things people can do to reduce asthma triggers in the home, such as keeping dust to a minimum, preventing water intrusion, increasing ventilation, washing bedding and stuffed animals, using hard surface flooring materials, roach bait, rodent traps and not smoking,” says Takaro.
“Recent studies have found that interventions in the home that reduce or eliminate indoor asthma triggers have the potential to reduce the incidence of asthma and deserve wider study and implementation.”
Dr. Takaro says he and the CHILD study environmental research team will also be looking into plastics in the home and outdoor pollutants generated by traffic.
“The CHILD study is placing an innovative focus on traffic pollutants that make their way indoors. It is hoped results from the home-based environmental assessments of indoor air quality will also influence future home construction policy and practices as well as influence consumer product regulations,” says Takaro.
CHILD study results will aid in the development of new preventive strategies and therapies to control this chronic illness.
AllerGen NCE Inc., one of the federal Networks of Centres of Excellence, is currently conducting numerous studies looking at the diagnosis and treatment of asthma, with the ultimate goal of reducing the social and economic burden posed by the increasing prevalence of asthma, allergy and related disease in Canadian society.
For more information about asthma triggers and triggers avoidance strategies, please visit the Asthma Society of Canada website www.asthma.ca.