Written By: Shraddha Rupavate | Updated : October 2, 2014 11:36 PM IST
According to a paper published in the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology published by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), asthma symptoms can be significantly improved by reducing exposure to pollution.
For the study, researchers analysed a particular case of a woman who could manage her asthma better by minimising exposure to pollution. The woman, who recently had moved from a rural community to a dense urban environment, experienced worsening asthma symptoms when she took new route to work along streets with lots of traffic. She and her doctor discussed and decided to change her bike route to work to a less polluted region.
It was analysed that the woman's previous bike route was 70 per in close proximity to major roadways. Therefore, her doctor recommended an alternate route by which only 15 per cent of her time was within 300 meters of high-traffic roads. When she followed the new route over the next month, her asthma symptoms improved, researchers said.
This study may not involve lot of participants and observations but significantly concludes that minute lifestyle changes, as easy as changing your route to work, can help asthma sufferers to manage their condition better.
According to pulmonologist Chris Carlsten, senior author of the paper, allergists should integrate their knowledge of effects of pollution on improved patient care. 'People who suffer from asthma may think there's not a lot they can do to control their asthma besides properly taking medications and avoiding allergic triggers,' researchers said.
With inputs from PTI
Image source: Getty images
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