CONDITIONS WHICH MAKE ASTHMA WORSE: CIGARETTE SMOKE

Feb
11
2011

Posted by: admin in Categories: Asthma.

INHALED IRRITANTS ARE substances that cause narrowing of the airways but don’t seem to bring on inflammation in the bronchi. The most important of them are secondary cigarette smoke and air pollutants.
Cigarette Smoke. For a child whose asthma is sensitive to cigarette smoke, this situation can be a problem. Some families tackle the problem by prohibiting smoking inside the home allowing cigarette smoking only in certain rooms and not in the room where the child may be. It is possible that sometimes visiting relatives or friends may not understand that cigarette smoke bothers the child. This can be a problem. These individuals may have to be told firmly that snaking aggravates the child’s illness and they should not smoke indoors. The child may have to practise ways of asking adults to stop smoking, or may leave the room until the smoke clears away. Parents may install room air purifiers or put up signs that say: Thank you for not smoking.
Medical evidence shows that exposure to secondary tobacco smoke increases the risk of respiratory illness in children. A study evaluated five families and their asthmatic children, aged 5-14 years, in an outpatient counseling programme for reducing the children’s exposure to passive smoking. Intervention included biweekly counselling and instructions to parents to limit their child’s exposure to tobacco. Counselling was associated with smoke exposure reduction of 40-80 per cent from baseline for each of the five children, with most improvements sustained during follow-up. This study was helpful in the development of tobacco exposure prevention programme for children with pulmonary disease.
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