Asthma Air Purifier

Air Purifier for asthma

When the first warm rays of sunshine make it through the cold air of the spring people want to go outside, but asthma sufferers already have something to worry about. It is understandable that these people want to have peace and quiet, at least within their own four walls, and look for ways to get rid of allergens.

Since simple dusting and vacuuming are often not enough, the idea of an air purifier comes to many at some point. This often leads to the question: do air purifiers help at all against asthma?

Asthma is very common

If you have asthma, you’re in good company, because according to the Global Asthma Report of 2014, around 330 million people worldwide suffer from asthma. Especially in western countries, the number of patients is increasing every year. The reasons for this vary greatly from person to person and cannot be reduced to one factor.

Common triggers for asthma are:

• A genetic predisposition to asthma;
• Dietary and lifestyle habits;
• Thermal insulation of houses and apartments;
• Poor indoor air quality;
• Increase of pollutants in the rooms;
• Lack of activation of the immune system due to too high hygiene standards;
• Higher concentration of air pollutants;
• Cigarette smoke.

It is interesting to note that, according to experts, psychological factors such as stress and emotional strain are not considered triggers for asthma, but do have an influence on the symptoms once it has set in.

Air purifiers can help with asthma

Even if the factors for an outbreak are known, it is still not clear how asthma actually develops. It is also not curable but can be treated well with medication.

Asthma can be divided into two groups. The first is allergic asthma, in which the body or immune system reacts to substances such as house dust, mold spores, pollen, bird feathers, or animal hair. The second variant is non-allergic asthma, in which the symptoms are triggered by physical exertion, cold air, or infections. It is therefore also called exercise-induced asthma.

If the second type can be controlled mostly through changes in lifestyle, the first, allergic asthma, can be made somewhat bearable with an asthma air purifier. Their use is particularly effective in the house, especially in the bedroom or the office.

To help with allergic or a mixed form, the air purifiers for asthma should have two filter systems:

• HEPA filters consist of extremely fine and close-meshed filter fabric, which is able to retain particles up to a minimum size of 0.0003 millimeters. HEPA filters are the best weapon against pollen and mold spores.
• Activated carbon filters are the second important filter component because they can filter volatile chemicals from the air and thus filter other asthma-triggering substances.

Most commercially available and proven air filters for asthma sufferers have both of these systems installed. Ionizers are also often used in the best air purifier for asthma.

Ionizers charge the air with negative particles. This is supposed to cause pollens to sink to the ground in larger clusters. The air is then theoretically cleared of allergens but unfortunately, they might fall on the floor and even on the bed. The high concentration of allergens collected on the floor can lead to a significant worsening of symptoms. In addition, ionization produces ozone, which also irritates the lungs.

The choice of asthma air purifiers is up to you, but if you are not sure, we recommend sticking with HEPA and carbon filter purifiers.