Asthma page 1 by Ellen Rothera, FCAA

Children can develop asthma at any age, but it is less usual under the age of three. Unfortunately asthma is on the increase and this, I suggest, is due to the increase in chemical pollutants in our homes and in our environment.

Fitted carpets are a hazard for dust-mite allergic children. An interesting article from the Sunday Times entitled "Air pollution in homes more dangerous than city smog", states "Everyday products, from air fresheners to cleaning fluids, were found to contribute more to human exposure to volatile organic compounds than anything that most people were likely to encounter while outside". This is no doubt true, but nevertheless the area in which people live is significant and there is no getting away from the fact that people who live in close proximity to a gas works or a dry cleaners are going to be more prone to asthma, bronchitis and other chest and lung related illnesses than average or, indeed, any other form of allergy-induced illness.

In the early 1960's we lived in Belfast and our doctor once told me that he had many cases of asthma and bronchitis around the gas works. I asked him why, given the facts, his patients did not move. He told me they had always lived there, their parents before them and their grandparents before that! I appreciate it is not always easy to move but I strongly urge anyone living in similar conditions, at least, to try to move to a healthier area.

We have more control over our indoor environment and this plays a major role in the lives of asthmatics. Smoking in the home can be a cause of asthma or aggravate asthma caused by something else. It is a major health hazard for all children but particularly for those susceptible to asthma.

So what is asthma? Asthma may be no more than a persistent cough, possibly only at night, or a cough accompanied by breathlessness with little or no wheezing. This could, in fact, be mistaken for a chest infection but if the cough is persistent and does not respond to an antibiotic, then one must assume it is the early stages of asthma. Your doctor will advise you here. Such a child is likely to show some signs of wheezing and breathlessness, certainly brought on, or exacerbated by, exercise, cold air and smoky atmospheres. Some children only display asthma type symptoms with a cold or other infection.

A more severe attack of asthma is likely to consist of a cough, difficult breathing, wheezing, a fast pulse and the possibility of vomiting.

© Food & Chemical Allergy Association