Asthma in September

Asthma sufferers know that when it rains it spores - as fungi and mold get moving through the air. But many don't realize that the most dangerous month for children's asthma symptoms is dry September.

A study of hospital data in New York City found the spike in admissions in two to three weeks after the return to school. Additional New York studies indicated that cold and dry weather in autumn mostly increased admissions in the school-aged population (<18), while hot and dry weather in the summer caused spikes in asthma admissions across all ages. Doctor visits increase every September in many Northern Hemisphere countries. It happens in the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Israel, Finland, Trinidad, and Canada, where 20% to 25% of all childhood asthma exacerbations requiring hospitalization have occurred in September.

Asthma hospitalizations in children 2-15 years in Canada

As students return to school, they are exposed to an increased number of indoor allergens, irritants and health risks. The "flu season" is approaching, weed pollen is not over yet, and indoor air is filled with pests, mold,
dust mites, animal dander, chalk
dust, cleaning agents, scented and unscented
personal care products and fumes.

So what can you do to manage asthma at school? Home environment is easier to control, but if you know your triggers, you can develop a plan - like asking teachers that pet animals with fur and feathers are not kept inside classrooms, dry-erase boards or " dustless" chalk are used instead of regular chalk and making sure that kids with asthma have reliable friends that can support them. 

REFERENCES

Sears MR, & Johnston NW (2007). Understanding the September asthma epidemic. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 120 (3), 526-9 PMID: 17658590

Lin S, Jones R, Liu X, & Hwang SA (2011). Impact of the return to school on childhood asthma burden in New York State. International journal of occupational and environmental health, 17 (1), 9-16 PMID: 21344814

Lee CC, Sheridan SC, & Lin S (2012). Relating weather types to asthma-related hospital admissions in New York State. EcoHealth, 9 (4), 427-39 PMID: 23224756

Choi IS, Lee SS, Myeong E, Lee JW, Kim WJ, Jin J. (2013) Seasonal variation in skin sensitivity to aeroallergens. Allergy Asthma Immunol Res. 2013 Sep;5(5):301-8. doi: 10.4168/aair.2013.5.5.301.

Bates DV, Baker-Anderson M, Sizto R. (1990) Asthma attack periodicity: a  study of hospital emergency visits in Vancouver. Environ Res 1990; 51:51-70.

Weiss KB. Strachan D, Hansell A, Hollowell J, McNiece R, Nichols T, Anderson HR, et al. (1999) Collation and comparison of data on respiratory disease. Report to the Department of Health, August 1999.

Rosas I, McCartney HA, Payne RW, Calderon C, Lacey J, Chapela R, et al. Analysis of the relationships between environmental factors (aeroallergens, air pollution, and weather) and asthma emergency admis­sions to a hospital in Mexico City. Allergy 1998;53:394-401.

Garty BZ, Kosman E, Ganor E, Berger V, Garty L, Wietzen T, et al. Emergency room visits of asthmatic children, relation to air pollution, weather, and airborne allergens. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 1998; 81:563-70.

Harju T, Keistinen T, Tuuoponen T, Kivela S-L. Seasonal variation in childhood asthma hospitalizations in Finland, 1972-1992. Eur J Pediatr. 1997;156:436-9.

Monteil MA, Juman S, Hassanally R, Williams KP, Pierre L, Rahaman M, et al. Descriptive epidemiology of asthma in Trinidad, West Indies. J Asthma 2000;37:677-84.

On Apples and Trees

An apple doesn't fall far from the tree. So if you don't like apples, trees won't like you either. And the other way around.

If your mother ate apples during pregnancy, she might have protected you from asthma. And if you like apple juice, this might help you avoid chronic wheezing issues.

 

Research has already proven these and many similar connections. Now a new study suggests that eating apples could also help you cope with seasonal allergies - particularly with allergies to birch pollen. And vice versa - a birch pollen therapy can help you tolerate apples.

Allergies affect many people in westernized countries. 10-15% of the population in North America and Europe suffer from immediate allergic reactions (type I), and birch pollen is a considerable cause of seasonal allergies. Its major allergen Betv 1  (responsible for more than 95% of allergies to birch pollen) can cross-react with Mal d 1 - the main allergen in apple. Thus during the pollination season, people sensitive to birch also might be sensitive to apples. But as Swiss and Slovenian scientists showed this year, just a piece of apple - 1-128 grams per day can help Birch-sensitive individuals to prepare for the allergy season. And it can increase their tolerance to apples - to the extent they can eat an entire apple per day after the treatment. Unfortunately, subsequently cutting apple intake means that birch allergies will return. 


Another recent study by Japanese allergists showed that injections of birch, ragweed and cedar pollen helped a highly allergic person tolerate apples. She could increase her intake from 3 grams (which is a tiny piece the size of half of a grape) to 50 grams, which is almost a half of an apple!  Allergy symptoms to most other fruits and vegetables also improved or disappeared. 

What is your relationship with apples and trees? Aurametrix can help you track your food sensitivities along with seasonal allergies, finding what combinations and amounts are right for you.


REFERENCES

Kopac P, Rudin M, Gentinetta T, Gerber R, Pichler Ch, Hausmann O, Schnyder B, & Pichler WJ (2012). Continuous apple consumption induces oral tolerance in birch-pollen-associated apple allergy. Allergy, 67 (2), 280-5 PMID: 22070352


Okamoto Y, & Kurihara K (2012). [A case of oral allergy syndrome whose symptoms were dramatically improved after rush subcutaneous injection immunotherapy with pollen extracts of birch]. Arerugi = [Allergy], 61 (5), 652-8 PMID: 22705787

Okoko BJ, Burney PG, Newson RB, Potts JF, Shaheen SO. Childhood asthma and fruit consumption. Eur Respir J. 2007 Jun;29(6):1161-8. Epub 2007 Feb 14.   


Miyake Y, Sasaki S, Tanaka K, Hirota Y. SAllergy. 2010 Jun 1;65(6):758-65. Epub 2010 Jan 22. Consumption of vegetables, fruit, and antioxidants during pregnancy and wheeze and eczema in infants.  

Hokkaido Igaku Zasshi. 1994 Nov;69(6):1409-26. [Clinical and immunological analysis of Birch pollenosis]. [Article in Japanese] Takagi S. Source Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.