Air purifiers for asthma:
Limiting airborne allergens

Asthma is a serious, chronic condition and the best air purifiers for asthma won't be a solution alone. Also, it's outside the scope of this site to discuss symptoms induced by exercise, stress or other factors.

However, asthma induced by poor air quality is a growing concern today, especially when it comes to childhood asthma.

The majority of asthma sufferers, especially children, have allergies that aggravate their symptoms.

These airborne allergens often include

• dust mites
• animal dander
• mold
• pollen
• and/or a combination of all the above.

While not a cure in and of itself, efforts to limit exposure to indoor and outdoor airborne allergens can often reduce asthma symptoms, even for those with severe cases.

What is happening?

Asthma is a chronic disease of the respiratory system in which the airway occasionally constricts, becomes inflamed, and is lined with excessive amounts of mucus, often in response to one or more triggers.

Asthma is defined simply as reversible airway obstruction. Reversibility occurs either spontaneously or with treatment.

The bottom line ...

There is no cure for asthma. Doctors have only found ways to prevent attacks and relieve the symptoms such as tightness of the chest and trouble breathing.

Can air purifiers for asthma help?

For the vast majority of asthma sufferers, cleaner air can help (as is the case for everyone). A good air purifier will help, but only in conjunction with some simple, common sense steps.

These are basic clean air steps. For more specific steps to take for specific allergens, visit those parts of this site.

The bottom line, part 2: The more you can limit airborne contaminates, the less allergy-related reactions you will have.

Let's look at a few simple steps before considering air purifiers for asthma.

Step 1

Dust mite exposure has been shown in studies to be the most likely airborne allergen for those with childhood asthma. So first take steps to limit dust mites in the bedroom.

The most important thing you can do is invest in dust-proof covers for your pillows, mattresses and other fabric items in your bedroom.

These covers, called allergen-impermeable, may not be as stylish as your chosen bedroom motif, but they will keep dust mites and their waste off.

As with most airborne allergy issues, focus on the bedroom. It's where you spend most of your time, are most vulnerable, and, in the case of dust mites, where they are most likely to be found).

Step 2

Wash everything you can - pillows, sheets, blankets - weekly in hot water (130 degrees F).

Don't neglect stuffed toys that are often popular with small children. They can harbor dust mites.

Step 3

Vacuum and dust weekly wearing a filtered mask. Because this will kick up dust, do it at a time when you can stay out of the bedroom for a while afterward.

Upgrade your vacuum. At the least, buy high-efficiency cleaner bags. Special filters for vacuum cleaners keep the dust from recirculating in the air. Consider investing in a HEPA vacuum cleaner.

Step 4

Now, let's consider the qualities to look for in your best air purifiers for asthma.

Of course, the best air purifier really depends on the specific airborne particulants that are creating the allergic reaction.

Briefly, two general air cleaning technologies worth considering are:

Filtered air purifiers use a paper or cloth filter to "strain out" airborne particles. The best use a HEPA filter, which doesn't refer to a brand but is an acronym ("High Efficiency Particulate Arresting" filter) which refers to the efficiency of the filter.

Electrostatic ionizing air purifiers use an ionizer to charge particles before passing air through oppositely charged metal plates that draw the particles out of the air.

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