Air Pollution May Increase Infant’s Risk of Getting Bronchitis
As a caring mom or dad, your top priority is exerting every effort to make sure your little one is happy, healthy and completely safe. Over and above feeding your child healthful and nutritious foods, as well as providing them with a safe and calm place to sleep and play, you would like to do everything you can in order to prevent any sort of ailments and other medical conditions. The most recent studies performed by the experts of the University of Washington will be especially interesting and useful for parents, as it reveals that there’s a direct link between air pollution exposure and bronchiolitis in infants.
The research, whose results were published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (November, 15th) provides highly disturbing details regarding air pollution and its influence on the infant’s respiratory system. For instance, the study makes a significant case that early exposure to ambient air pollution, including vehicle exhaust and smoke from wood burning stoves, can lead to the development of bronchiolitis in little ones. Without a doubt, this pretty sad news will definitely raise some sort of alarm, especially if your house is located in an area where wood is usually burned or not far from a major freeway. Keeping your child’s health is a must; and the study discussed above provides additional proof of how important it is to improve the quality of indoor air.
What Is Bronchiolitis?
Bronchiolitis is defined as the main condition that tends to land infants in hospitals. The ailment is typically characterized by fast breathing, a high fever, a runny nose and wheezing. Within a day or two, this illness can cause numerous complications. For instance, it can lead to vomiting that becomes so severe that the patient cannot keep anything down. Being defined as a respiratory disease, bronchiolitis shouldn’t be something parents shut eyes to. As a rule, the disease occurs during the early period of spring and in winter. Babies from 3 to 6 months of age are the most exposed to developing the problem, especially during the first year of life.
Basics of the Study
The study about the direct link between polluted air and infant’s bronchiolitis was spearheaded by Catherine Karr, the Washington University assistant professor of pediatrics. In the study, Catherine Karr researched and analyzed over 13,000 cases of bronchiolitis in little patients in the period from 1999 to 2002. Besides, the experts examined the data that was provided by a range of air monitoring stations around the houses and apartments with infants in the region of southwest British Columbia. After investigating a variety of aspects, including maternal smoking, breastfeeding and gestational age, the authors of the study carefully studied the frequency of cases of bronchiolitis as compared with nearby population level.
What Was Revealed?
The study performed by Catherine Karr has shown a clear direct link between the frequency of the ailment in infants and polluted air. In accordance with the research findings, the little ones who lived within 150 feet of a major freeway were 6% more exposed to the disease than the infants who lived further away from the exhaust area. As for the infants who lived in regions with uncontrolled wood smoke, they were 8% more exposed to the disease mentioned above. In other words, the quality level of the indoor air of the living area of the little ones was compromised by their exposure to polluted air, and without a doubt, fragile respiratory systems of infants were the ones to pay the price.
Keep Your Child Solidly Protected
As it was said by Dr. Catherine Karr and her colleagues, who were involved in the study, moms and dads should keep away from using wood burning stoves when they have a little one in the living area. The point is that the quality of indoor air is highly compromised by using this kind of device. At the same time, those individuals who’re about to start a family must search for houses that are located far from major freeways that can compromise healthy air. But the good news is that parents have an excellent device to help protect their little ones from respiratory ailments – HEPA air purifiers.
Consider HEPA Air Purifier
Clean indoor air is the solid guarantee of a great state of health of every human being, be it a toddler or a grown-up. With that in mind, a conscientious parent must search for high quality HEPA air purifiers. The assortment of air purifiers’ models is rich enough to select the most suitable device to meet the needs of a baby’s fragile respiratory system. By purchasing and utilizing the item in your living area, one can significantly improve indoor air quality, making it easier to keep a child happy and full of health.
Are babies sensitive to air pollution?
Yes. Babies have smaller airways and developing lungs, so air pollution exposure can more easily affect their respiratory health and increase the risk of bronchitis or bronchiolitis. Prenatal exposure and exposure during the first year of life may also raise risk.
Can a dirty air filter cause bronchitis?
A dirty air filter can worsen indoor air quality by allowing dust and pollutants to circulate, which may irritate the respiratory system and contribute to breathing problems. Replacing filters regularly can help reduce indoor air pollution exposure.
Other common outdoor pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and nitric oxide, can also affect young children and preschool children with a developing immune system.
Parents should watch closely for wheezing, coughing, or a current asthma flare-up, because repeated air pollution exposure in childhood has also been linked in public health sciences research to an increased incidence of respiratory disease and the development of asthma by age 2 years.