Treatment of Asthma

In this article

• The Five Parts to an Asthma Treatment Plan

The Five Parts to an Asthma Treatment Plan continued...

• Indoor controls
  • To control dust mites:
    • Use only polyester-filled pillows and comforters (never feather or down). Use mite-proof covers (available at allergy supply stores) over pillows and mattresses. Keep covers clean by vacuuming or wiping them down once a week.
    • Wash your child's sheets and blankets once a week in very hot water (130 F or higher) to kill dust mites.
    • Keep upholstered furniture, window mini-blinds, and carpeting out of a child's bedroom and playroom because they can collect dust and dust mites (especially carpets). Use washable throw rugs and curtains and wash them in hot water weekly. Vinyl window shades that can be wiped down can also be used.
    • Dust and vacuum weekly. If possible, use a vacuum specially designed to collect and trap dust mites (with a HEPA filter).
    • Reduce the number of dust-collecting house plants, books, knickknacks, and nonwashable stuffed animals in your home.
    • Avoid humidifiers when possible because moist air promotes dust mite infestation.
  • To control pollens and molds:
    • Avoid humidifiers because humidity promotes mold growth. If you must use a humidifier, keep it very clean to prevent mold from growing in the machine.
    • Ventilate bathrooms, basements, and other damp places where mold can grow. Consider keeping a light on in closets and using a dehumidifier in basements to remove air moisture.
    • Use air conditioning because it removes excess air moisture, filters out pollens from the outside, and provides air circulation throughout your home. Filters should be changed once a month.
    • Avoid wallpaper and carpets in bathrooms because mold can grow under them.
    • Use bleach to kill mold in bathrooms.
    • Keep windows and doors shut during pollen season.
  • To control irritants:
    • Do not smoke (or allow others to smoke) at home, even when a child is not present. Some parents smoke outside and then come inside the home. This can be a serious problem. Smoke particles are still on the clothes and in the hair and can cause the child's asthma to flare.
    • Do not burn wood fires in fireplaces or wood stoves.
    • Avoid strong odors from paint, perfume, hair spray, disinfectants, chemical cleaners, air fresheners, and glues.
  • To control animal dander:
    • If your child is allergic to a pet, you may have to consider finding a new home for the animal or keeping the pet outside at all times. Finding a different pet to which the child is not allergic might be a fair compromise.
    • It may (but does not always) help to wash the animal at least once a week to remove excess dander and collected pollens.
    • Never allow the pet into the allergic child's bedroom.
    • If you don't already own a pet and a child has asthma, don't acquire one. Even if a child isn't allergic to the animal now, he or she can become allergic with continued exposure.
• Outdoor controls
  • When mold or pollen counts are high, give your child medications recommended by your doctor (usually an antihistamine) before going outdoors.
  • After playing outdoors, the child should bathe and change clothes.
  • Drive with the car windows shut and air conditioning on during mold and pollen seasons.
  • Don't let a child mow the grass or rake leaves.