Asthma only flares up in the UK, why?

[Mike_Clark]

I have over the past 4 years lived and travelled in Australia, Hong Kong, Thailand and China, and my asthma never flared up. But I have returned the UK and immediately I'm breathless and wake up during the night. I can run much shorter distances in the UK before my lungs are too exhausted and I need to rest for a long time for my lungs to recover.

I've been searching for answer for this, with not solution.

Before, I thought it was a reaction to my mum's cat, but the cat past many years ago and I'm still affected in her house and all other houses.

I thought diet, but in Australia my diet was nearly exactly the same.

Mould doesn't see to be a factor, I lived in many mouldy places in Asia, but maybe UK has a mould that can be in small quantities but have huge effect?

Water Chlorine is the same in Australia and Hong Kong, but hardness is different but seems no one believes that could affect anything.

Pollen? But I took antihistamines and it did little and all countries get pollen, so why would it vary country to country? Could it be the type of pollen present in UK flora?

Hong Kong pollution is bad but I could run until my legs got tired, not my lungs. So pollution is out.

I thought the climate but most forums talk about hot weather. But it's not the heat. If anything, it has helped, still, I agree that in the UK summer my asthma gets worse.

I've also notice it gets worse the more I stay in the UK, as short stays in the UK don't affect me.

Whatever it is in the UK, there is more of it in the summer, but I'm baffled not only for the reason but that not many people have had this experience, to the point it is easy to find others like me online.

Does anyone have a similar experience and/or know why this happens to me?

[twinkly29]

No idea really but pollen will absolutely vary between countries, within countries, it will be different at different times, etc. All pollen isn't the same from different plants and people are sensitive to different types of pollen - sometimes "tree" for example but often more specific within that so such as a particular type of tree. So it's quite possible that it is a particular something you're sensitive to. It could be that the antihistamine wasn't the right one for you or maybe it only helps to a point.

[Mike_Clark in reply to twinkly29]

I tried two antihistamines, pill and a nasal (not at the same time of course), it had mild effect I'd say. I'm not sure if it was just a placebo effect, because it didn't go away. I'll have to look into whether I should try a different antihistamines.

[twinkly29 in reply to Mike_Clark]

A bit like inhalers, different people seem suited to different antihistamines - tablets and nasal sprays definitely can be taken together too. It might be something less helpful in terms of management such as "different climate". I hope not because weather stuff is difficult to deal with!

[HungryHufflepuff]

Have you been given a different medication in the U.K.? Although we’re told it’s the equivalent, it might not be identical. 🤔

[Mike_Clark in reply to HungryHufflepuff]

I used no medication outside of the UK, it literally isn't a problem at all in other countries. That's why I find it so strange.

[Hidden]

I suspect it’s a combination of factors: cooler damp climate, different plant types/pollen, and on top of that pollution.

A few years ago I wrote a post asking if anyone else had found that coniferous forests were better for their asthma than deciduous. This came off the back of a holiday we had had in the Cascades region of north west America in the Fall. As is so often the case with asthmatics in the U.K., autumn is a time of year when I need to up my asthma meds because of the increase of cooler more damp temperatures combined with an increase in fungal spores. I fully expected things to go downhill whilst in Oregon and Washington State because the climate there at that time of year is, if anything, even more damp than in the U.K. To my complete astonishment things remained stable: I was absolutely fine - until I returned home (we live in a rural area with predominantly deciduous trees). Within a week I had to up my asthma meds.

[runcyclexcski]

I think there are several potential reasons. Reliance on diesel, specific pollen allergies, and the general lack of HVAC in workspaces come to mind. Damp climate could be an issue, and yet I have been fine living in Virginia for years.

My consultant's office in Glenfield has no air supply and air exhaust -- it just has tiles covering the entire false ceiling, with no grills for in/out. Carpets everywhere. He is aware of the issue, but he keeps calm and carries on. At the campus I work at, only one building out of ~five has forced ventilation. I have been bringing this issue up for years, but have been ignored --until covid hit. Now they "solve" the issue by opening the windows (in December and February). There is always cash to pay the VC and his team 100-200K salaries, but no cash to upgrade building ventilation systems.

When I got my job interview in the UK 2013, I was feeling chest-tight in Heathrow and on M25, and then it generally dissipated as I drove further away from London. Being next to diesel trains was always an issue.

There are much worse places, of course. Russia comes to mind, with its lack of environmental law enforcement, smokers, etc. I would never go to China for the same reasons

[Mike_Clark in reply to runcyclexcski]

The pollution does make it feel worse in the UK, but doesn't seem to be the cause

[Chip_y2kuk]

Pollen at a complete guess.... pollen is different depending on plant/tree/weed so it's highly possible that as you've lived in the UK for a long time I assume before you travelled you've developed allergies to pollen here (which may be birch or something odd that possibly only grows in the UK)

Which would also explain why heat makes it worse in the UK but not abroad, heat in the UK normally means summer/warmer weather... and thats when the green things wake up and start to grow... producing pollen

So for example I'm wildly allergic to Timothy rye grass... you know what the most common grass is in the UK? ..... yes Timothy rye apparently .... you know what's also chemically similar to Timothy grass.... celery

However I'm only slightly allergic to birch

Didn't react to moulds

However I'm highly allergic to dust and dust likes to live with skin cells and mould, it's there favourite foods apparently

And anything thats classified as a 'weed' I'm pretty much to avoid ragweed, brambles, nettle etc etc

So it is highly possible you are allergic to a 'pollen' in the UK that doesn't grow abroad

[Gwen30]

Could be that your sensitive to temperature changes as where you have lived are relatively moist and hot but U.K. the opposite as we’re wet and windy and relatively moderate temperatures

[Oscarpebbles2021]

Hi I have had a, similiar experience. I lived in New, Zealand for 21 years and had very little trouble with my asthma. Came back to the uk and within a, few, months my asthma, flared up. I dread the, summers and as, the years, have gone, by I seem to get worse. Starts, every July and, all of Aug. Soon as, Sept gets, going and the crops, are, in I improve. I always, blame the pollen as it rises, I start unwell. `