Smoking and Pets Trigger Asthma Attacks

A US study has found that smoking and pet ownership, two important triggers of asthma attacks, occur just as often in the homes of children with asthma as in the general US population. The study was published in the July 2002 issue of The Journal of Pediatrics.

Tobacco smoke and pet dander are two of the most common contributors to more severe asthma symptoms. The US National Heart Lung and Blood Institute has recommended that the first step in controlling asthma is the reduction of exposure to irritants such as tobacco smoke and allergens such as pet dander.

The study involved 152 children with asthma, aged 7-18. Researchers at National Jewish Medical & Research Center (Denver, CO, USA) interviewed at least one parent of each child about irritants in the home and the child's asthma history. Smoking and pet ownership and adherence to asthma medications did not correlate with each other. The researchers found that households with smokers reported more stress and lower quality of life, less asthma-related knowledge, and lower parental educational and occupational status than did nonsmoking households. Households with furred or feathered pets, on the other hand, were associated with older children, being white, better parental asthma knowledge, and better family functioning.

"This suggests to us that smoking among parents of children with asthma should be viewed as an addiction rather than willful nonadherence with a doctor's advice,” said Frederick Wamboldt, M.D., head of the division of psychosocial medicine at National Jewish. "Our findings suggest that families with pets have good resources and are otherwise relatively judicious in their asthma care.”

National Jewish >> www.njc.org
The study was published in the July 2002 issue of The Journal of Pediatrics.

Tobacco smoke and pet dander are two of the most common contributors to more severe asthma symptoms. The US National Heart Lung and Blood Institute has recommended that the first step in controlling asthma is the reduction of exposure to irritants such as tobacco smoke and allergens such as pet dander.

The study involved 152 children with asthma, aged 7-18. Researchers at National Jewish Medical & Research Center (Denver, CO, USA; www.njc.org) interviewed at least one parent of each child about irritants in the home and the child's asthma history. Smoking and pet ownership and adherence to asthma medications did not correlate with each other. The researchers found that households with smokers reported more stress and lower quality of life, less asthma-related knowledge, and lower parental educational and occupational status than did nonsmoking households. Households with furred or feathered pets, on the other hand, were associated with older children, being white, better parental asthma knowledge, and better family functioning.

"This suggests to us that smoking among parents of children with asthma should be viewed as an addiction rather than willful nonadherence with a doctor's advice,” said Frederick Wamboldt, M.D., head of the division of psychosocial medicine at National Jewish. "Our findings suggest that families with pets have good resources and are otherwise relatively judicious in their asthma care.”





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