WASHINGTON — This frigid winter air can make it tough to breathe — and it is especially dangerous for kids and adults with asthma.
“Asthma is almost always triggered by this kind of cold weather exposure,” says Dr. Steven Kariya, a pulmonologist with Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland.
Many asthmatics have more attacks in winter and Kariya says “it can cause a lot of asthmatic patients to need some of their rescue inhalers.”
Winter is such a cruel season for people with asthma because they have to deal with a double-whammy: Bitter cold air outside and dry heated air inside. That heated air can be a breeding ground for asthma triggers like dust mites and mold.
Sufferers definitely need to take more precautions when the temperatures dip well below freezing, like making sure to wear a scarf that covers the mouth outdoors to reduce the amount of cold air that goes directly into the lungs.
It is also a good idea for asthmatics — and anyone else for that matter — to exercise indoors when it is bone-chilling cold. And everybody should be on the lookout for breathing problems outside like wheezing or noisy breathing.
Kariya says if it happens repeatedly to otherwise healthy people, “they may have previously undiagnosed asthma.”.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says one in 12 American adults has asthma, and one in 11 children. About nine people die from asthma every day.
Follow @WTOP and @WTOPliving on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.
