Pets, Smoking Common In Asthmatic Homes
Study: Triggers Rarely Removed From Asthmatic Children's Homes
Does your child have asthma?
If so, you might consider removing two important asthma triggers from your home -- smoking and pets.
A study conducted by researchers at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center found that these two triggers are rarely removed from the homes of asthmatic children. Their study is published in the July issue of the Journal of Pediatrics.
The researchers found that smoking and ownership of furred or feathered pets occurs just as often in homes of children with asthma as it does in the general United States population.
Tobacco smoke and pet dander are two of the most common contributors to more severe asthma symptoms. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute has recommended that the first step in controlling asthma is reduction of exposure to irritants, such as tobacco smoke and allergens, such as pet dander.
Dr. Frederick Wamboldt, head of the Division of Psychosocial Medicine at National Jewish, and his colleagues interviewed 152 children with asthma ages 7 to 18 and at least one parent of each child about potential allergens and irritants in their homes.
At least one smoker lived in 38 percent of the homes, compared to a nationwide average of 35 to 45 percent of households with at least one smoker. Sixty-seven percent of the children lived in homes with a furred or feathered pet, slightly more than the 59 percent of U.S. homes reported to have pets.
"I believe that many doctors have two basic asthma patients in their minds: good ones who take their medicine and avoid all irritants and allergens and bad ones who smoke, have pets and don't take their medications," Wamboldt said. "We have learned that the picture is decidedly more complex than that."
Wamboldt's team found that the households with smokers differed quite significantly from those with furred or feathered pets.
"Smoking was generally associated with poor, nonwhite and highly stressed families, whereas pet ownership was associated with white families with greater asthma knowledge, older children and better family functioning," Wamboldt said. "We believe doctors can more effectively counsel their asthma patients to remove asthma triggers from their homes if they take these differences into account."
He said doctors should counsel parents of asthmatic children to quit smoking repeatedly, rather than only once when a child is first diagnosed with asthma. Doctors could also give advice on ways to reduce a child's exposure to smoke, such as smoking outside, Wamboldt said.
For parents of asthmatics who own pets, Wamboldt suggests that doctors explore their decision to keep the pet, rather than simply telling them to get rid of the animal.
"If the family knows the child is not allergic to that particular animal or the child's exposure to the animal dander is well-controlled, then the benefits of pet ownership may outweigh potential liabilities," Wamboldt said. "The physician could then discuss other strategies for controlling pet allergens, such as frequently bathing the pet."
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