Hot and cold air

Hi All

Today has been hot with sticky, thick air in London. I have also had to use the underground a lot today and go in and out of air conditioned sites for work. Temperature changes are normally a trigger and so not surprisingly my lungs have been fairly cranky. I'm not worried about this and am having a good time asthma wise at the mo, my question is:

Why do changes in temperature make an impact?

It's not as though hot or cold- ness are allergens. Do lungs/airways have temp recepters that are over sensitive in asthmatic lungs...?

Appologies if this is in the wrong section but I think the answer may be a medically based one?

Thanks for any info

Lee x

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Hi Lee,

Think it is not just temperature, but air quality that is the cause of our problems. I live in North Wales, admittedly within half a mile of the main coast road, but for me it has been cloud cover and humidity that add to the breathing problems. I`m allergic to hay making and grass cutting, on overcast days the effects never clear. Perhaps there are simular effects in the city. I would take advice to be on the safe side. Regards Si

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Hi Lee,

Reading your post raised a few issues I discovered. 1 was that the air con at the gym, and thats the only place I used that air con, caused me problems, so no more gym. Second is that the cold air is another problem, and there is some debate as to exactly why, but the best one is that the cold air is usually drier, and this dries the airways in the lungs out, causing them to become irritated by dust etc in the air, also cold air causes the airways to become stiff and again this is a problem for asthmatics.

Hope you don't suffer to much, but the hot muggy weather isn't great asthma or not..

Chris

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Hot and cold air

Hi lee - I have the same problem if I venture out at night during the winter from the warmth of the central heating into the icy air.. Only keeping my preventer medication under control has helped with this!! Im suffering at the moment with the muggy air...

Regards Kerry

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Thank you all for your replies. It seems as though there is no one clear answer. A mixuture of air quality, and general lung irritability re dryness and coldness makes sense - asthmatic lungs are very annoying, if only there was just the one trigger for all of us that could be identified and magically fixed!!!

Take good care everyone, cooler here today so I hope it is elsewhere too.

Lee