Reducing Home Allergens, Less Asthma
Reducing allergen
levels in the home can lead to a marked reduction of irritants and fewer
problems with asthma for children, a U.S. study finds.
Research teams
went to individual households in several U.S. inner-cities and initiated
measures to decrease levels of dust mite, cockroach, dog, cat, rat, mouse
and mold allergens, as well as tobacco smoke, reports the The New England
Journal of Medicine.
"Indoor allergens
play an important role in the asthma severity in these children," says
study author Dr. Rebecca Gruchalla, chief of allergy at the University
of Texas Medical Center in Dallas.
"We can't just
focus on medications. We must also focus on allergen triggers in the home
and work with caretakers to decrease or even eliminate these allergens."
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