By IANS
New York : Asthmatic? Staying indoors to avoid allergens may not be such a great idea – your home may not be a lot safer, according to a new study.
The study showed that 52 percent of homes surveyed had at least six detectable allergens with 46 percent having three or more allergens at increased levels, Sciencedaily reported.
Indoor allergens are of “great importance in relation to asthma because most people spend a majority of their time at home”, said Darryl Zeldin of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the paper’s co-author.
Asthma, which afflicts a staggering number of people worldwide, is triggered by a range of substances – and these allergens are common at home thanks to the presence of dogs, cats, mice, cockroaches, dust mites and fungi.
Significantly, the study showed that homes with children were less likely to have high allergen levels. The authors ascribed this to the greater frequency of cleaning, a simple yet cost-effective method to remove allergens.
The findings of the study have been published in the latest issue of the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.
The study, which surveyed 2,500 US homes across 75 locations, was the first to characterise how allergen exposures vary in homes.
Several factors were found to contribute to increased concentrations of allergens, including race, income, type of home, and sources of allergens, such as presence of pets and pests.
According to Päivi Salo, co-author of the study: “This study confirms that indoor allergens play a major role in asthma”.
Salo and her co-authors, however, point out that more research is needed to understand the complex relationships between genetic and environmental factors that cause asthma.