Athsma

In a report released on Wednesday, scientists have found out that dust mites from your house et may cause asthma in children who do not yet have the disease. About 17.3 million Americans have asthma, a respiratory disease that causes suffering, horrible coughing, and wheezing and also leaves them gasping for air. Since 1980, the number of people who have asthma has risen over 75%. This was in the report released by the Institute of Medicine that studied just how big a role the air in peoples' homes can play in the disease.

No one can reason why the numbers for people with asthma have risen so much over the years and are still rising dramatically. The conclusion made by Dr. Richard B. Johnston of the University of Colorado, who chaired the Institute of Medicine committee, is that dust mites, cockroaches, cat dander and, for preschool children, breathing in secondhand tobacco smoke are proven culprits in making asthma worse for those who have the disease. There is some thought, but no evidence or proof, that mold, dog dander, and pollution from poorly burning gas stoves also play a role in worsening asthma.

The existence of dust mites cannot be the cause of a person's asthma because dust mites are located in nearly all homes. But for people who are genetically susceptible to asthma, exposure to dust mites can lead to the disease, the reports say. Some people have thought that fragrances, formaldehyde and other chemicals that can build up in indoor air also may play a role in the cause of asthma, but the reports say there is little evidence found for this idea. The expensive gadgets that claim to filter indoor air show little evidence that they do much good, Johnston said.

Instead, the reporter recommends simple and easy to follow strategies to ease asthmatics' symptoms:

Put mattresses and pillows in plastic covers. Get leather sofas instead of upholstered ones, and get rid of carpets.

1. Don't allow smoking inside the house.

2. Get rid of your pets. When they are gone, thoroughly clean to remove their dander.

3. Exterminate cockroaches on a regular schedule.

5. Because of the fact that dust mites thrive in humid conditions, you should make sure you