Asthma affects 20 million people in the United States. The National institutes of health estimates that 60% of the people in the United States have allergic asthma, a type of asthma that can be triggered by allergens such as dust mites,animal dander, mold spores and cockroaches. An increase number of studies continue to indicate that climate change is having an impact on the environment,and as a result, affecting our health-especially people suffering from allergic asthma,
A report released this year by Harvard Medical School's center for Health and Global Environment is the first to comprehensively put forth evidence that burning fossil fules may be partly to blame for the 160% rise in asthma among preschool children between 1980 and 1994, says Paul Epstein associate director of the center
Epstein and his colleagues found that both opportunistic weeds (ragweed) and trees(maples,birches,and poplars) produce more pollen earlier each spring. They similarly found that increasing temperatures also encourage growth of mold and fungi,and stimulate photochemical smog, all of which contribute to respiratory distress.
People with allergic asthma produce IGe Immunogloblin E when they are exposed to allergens. IgE is a type of antibody that is present in minute amounts in the body, but plays a major role in allergic disease. On exposure to allergens when combined with Ige triggers,the allergic inflammatory cascade leads to an increase in asthma symptoms and attacks. An increase in allergens in the air could trigger the body to produce higher levels of IgE.
According to the Asthma and allergy foundation of America (AAFA) asthma suffers may be one of the groups in the United States most affected by climate change.
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