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WI Asthma Doctor: 'tis The Season

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Monday, November 8, 2010   

MADISON, Wis. - The smell of burning leaves in the fall can trigger a lot of pleasant memories for many people, but for asthma sufferers, it could trigger an attack.

Dr. Todd Mahr is an allergist at Gunderson Lutheran Medical Center, LaCrosse. He says fall can be a tough season for asthma and allergy sufferers.

"There are allergens that we see - ragweed and mold. And then there are the irritants: leaf-burning and people burning wood outdoors. All of these things can be airborne."

Mahr, who volunteers with the Wisconsin Asthma Coalition, says it's not just allergens and irritants that cause trouble.

"One of the key things that happens in the fall, unfortunately, is a lot of people have actually stopped taking their daily controller medications over the summer because they've done well, and they fail to start them up in the fall until they have their first exacerbation."

Mahr says asthma sufferers should not only get back on their regular meds, but consider getting a flu shot.

"If somebody with asthma gets influenza, they have a significantly increased risk of having a worse outcome from the flu."

The old saying used to be that allergy season ends with the first hard frost, but Mahr tells his patients it's not over until the snow is on the ground.

"The first hard frost usually will kill most weeds. But you've got people outside doing raking and all the chores to get their house ready for the winter. That stirs up a fair amount of mold, sometimes, and that first frost won't necessarily kill all of it."

Mahr points out that in the fall people also begin spending more time indoors, where there is less fresh air circulation and the air is dryer. That boosts their exposure to indoor allergy and asthma triggers, such as pet dander and dust mites.





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