Medical Issues and Your Indoor Environment.

People spend as much as 90% of their time indoors, and it is estimated that 30% to 70% of all buildings have indoor environmental quality problems. The EPA ranks indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health.

The respiratory system provides oxygen to your body's cells and clears the blood of carbon dioxide when you exhale. As one of the body's primary gatekeepers, the respiratory system is susceptible to a number of unfriendly forces; when faced with invaders from pollens to perfume, allergies can strike.

Allergies occur when the immune system overreacts to a given substance called an allergen (pollen, for example). Respiratory allergies affect the respiratory tract. The lining of the airway from the nose to the lungs is similar in structure and therefore similarly affected by the allergic process - so what affects the nose and sinus also can affect the lungs. And often what happens in one part of the airway has an impact on the other.

Allergy triggers include both allergens and irritants. Allergens such as animal danders, pollens, molds dust mites and cockroaches, cause immune system reaction. Irritants, such as indoor cigarette smoke, outdoor air pollution, auto exhaust or strong odor such as cleaning fluid or paint, directly impact the respiratory system. Both allergens and irritants can bring on a variety of symptoms. And all can trigger both allergic rhinitis and asthma.

Allergic Rhinitis - When allergens impact the mucous membrane lining the nose and sinus cavities, the unpleasant result is known as allergic rhinitis, also called hay fever. Symptoms include itchy nose, throat and eyes and excessive sneezing. Stuffy or runny nose often follow.

Asthma - What happens in one airway often has an impact on the other airway. For this reason, rhinitis in the nasal passages can lead to asthma in the lungs, a much more serious illness characterized by breathlessness, wheezing on exhale, dry cough and a feeling of tightness in the chest. Not everyone with allergic rhinits will develop asthma symptoms, but a significant number - especially those with recurring, untreated allergies -- will show lung inflammation changes. About forty percent will actually develop full-blown asthma.

When asthma is triggered by an inhaled allergen (pollen, mold, etc.) it is known as extrinsic. Extrinsic asthma may also be brought on by irritants (tobacco smoke) exercise, or even certain foods. Viral infections, specially the common cold, are another important trigger to asthma, as they add to the inflammation already occurring in the lungs. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infections in infants and young children and is a major precursor to childhood asthma. Intrinsic asthma has no apparent external cause, tends to occur later in life and may be triggered by emotional factors such as stress or anxiety.

Sinusitis - When the same inflammation occurring in the nose reaches the sinuses (the cavities behind your cheeks, eyebrows and jaw that open into the nasal passages) the result is an uncomfortable infection called sinusitis (or rhino-sinusitis), in which the sinuses can't empty themselves of bacteria. Symptoms include nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, fever, headache, fatigue and cough, as well as pain in the forehead, behind the cheeks, even aching teeth and jaw. People with allergies also tend to have more sinus infections. Acute sinusitis can be caused by a viral or bacterial infection.

Mold Allergy

Along with pollens from trees, grasses, and weeds, molds are an important cause of seasonal allergic rhinitis. People allergic to molds may have symptoms from spring to late fall. The mold season often peaks from July to late summer. Unlike pollens, molds may persist after the first killing frost. Some can grow at subfreezing temperatures, but most become dormant. Snow cover lowers the outdoor mold count dramatically but does not kill molds. After the spring thaw, molds thrive on the vegetation that has been killed by the winter cold.

In the warmest areas of the United States, however, molds thrive all year and can cause year-round (perennial) allergic problems. In addition, molds growing indoors can cause perennial allergic rhinitis even in the coldest climates.

Asthma, Mold and Children

Asthma afflicts about 20 million Americans, including 6.3 million children.  Since 1980, the biggest growth in asthma cases has been in children under five.  In 2000 there were nearly 2 million emergency room visits and nearly half a million hospitalizations due to asthma, at a cost of almost $2 billion, and causing 14 million school days missed each year.

Kids’ asthma risk more than doubles if their homes smell of mold says a new study.

“This study is important for families everywhere,” says Jim Burkhart, PhD, in a news release. Burkhart is the science editor for Environmental Health Perspectives, which published the study in its March issue.

“Anyone with young children in the home should be aware of the potentially harmful effects of long-term exposure to mold and this potential link to asthma in children,” he continues, in the news release.

Mold has been linked to asthma before. So have other irritants such as cigarette smoke, dust mites, and furry or feathery pets. A family history ofasthma or hay fever give children genes that raises a kids’ risk of being susceptible to environmental triggers to asthma, say the researchers.

You don’t have to see mold for it to cause problems. The smell alone can be bad enough, the research shows.

Almost anything can be an allergen to someone. However, some substances are very common allergens.

• Pollen and mold: About a quarter of all Americans are genetically predisposed to allergic reactions from airborne pollen and mold.
• Dust mites: The droppings of these tiny spider-like creatures, found in the air, bed sheets, pillows, and furniture, are the next most common allergen: at least 20 million Americans are sensitive to dust mites.
• Pet allergens: 15 to 30 percent of people with allergies are sensitive to proteins in pet dander (dead skin), saliva or urine. People with dog allergies may be sensitive to all dogs, or certain breeds. People with cat allergies are generally sensitive to all cats, and cat allergies are about twice as common as allergies to dogs, affecting about six to ten million Americans.
• Cockroach sensitivity: Anywhere from 23 to 60 percent of urban asthma sufferers are sensitive to the cockroach allergen. If a cockroach crawls over something you later touch or eat, or their droppings become airborne you can ingest or breathe in their allergen, causing a reaction.

It's important to know that allergies are not just a bother during pollen season, but they are debilitating and chronic disorders which can have long-term effects on your health, your pocketbook and your happiness. Allergies should be taken seriously.