During the winter, for people with asthma, many things including dust mites, stuff toys and fungus can trigger an asthma attack. Unfortunately, for animal lovers, a pet can also trigger asthma. It can be shocking for anyone to find out that family pet is a threat of an asthma attack, but there are ways to live with pets and prevent asthma attacks caused by pet dander.
“As per studies, approximately 15-30% of allergy sufferers are allergic to pet dander (hair),” Dr Shubhranshu, Asthma specialist at Narayana Hospital said. “If someone has an allergy to pet hair, it probably affects his/her throughout the year but winter can cause more flare-ups than usual. This is because pets are likely to spend far more time inside when the weather is cold than they do in summer,” he added.
In winters, we mostly keep our windows and doors closed and it leaves the house less ventilated. The main airborne allergens in the cold months are indoors - pets (primarily cats and dogs), pests, and dust mites. Especially pets can be problematic because they like to climb on furniture, sit on the bed and therefore leads to high airborne allergen levels.
“In such a case, vacuuming more frequently is must as vacuuming can control pet dander and hair inside the house. Practice good hair removal, grooming pet regularly and keeping home and furnishings free of hair will help,” said Dr Shubhranshu.
As per specialists, dog hairs affect the lungs of people with asthma more than the fur of cats. So it is advised to control pets’ access to bedrooms. The best way to prevent an asthma attack is to avoid the allergen. Keeping pets out of the bedroom or limited to certain rooms in the house are ways to coexist and still create an allergen-free space for yourself.
In winters...
In winters, we mostly keep our windows and doors closed and it leaves the house less ventilated. The main airborne allergens in the cold months are indoors - pets (primarily cats and dogs), pests, and dust mites. Especially pets can be problematic because they like to climb on furniture, sit on the bed.
