Every since I was a small kid, asthma has always been a problem. I’ve had many a sleepless night because of weezing and inhaler of empty, which is a horror that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Also just waking up to the realisation that one can’t breathe, even with the inhaler nearby, ain’t fun.
The article on outdoor air pollution that I reposted had me thinking. I’ve had moderately bad asthma my entire life. I’ve always needed to have a rescue inhaler near me at all times. For half of the year, since aged ten or do, I’ve needed a steroidal inhaler, otherwise I’d be hitting the rescue inhaler all day. But something happened around some unspecified time in the last few years that my asthma just disappeared. Fuck I wish I could pinpoint the year, it’s just something that happened without notice, and I chalked it up to “people grow out of asthma”.
Since 2020, I’ve been consistently doing the n95 thing, as well as nearly always having a HEPA filter on around me when indoors.
I guess I’m curious how likely it is I grew out of asthma vs just cleaner air. I wish I could have more data on my symptom timeline, but those memories are just a blur.
As a mod of c/covid, I promise that no one will get banned for saying “nah people do grow out of asthma”.
AFAIK it’s (in part) a hormonal thing? Testosterone-fueled puberty tends to improve asthma symptoms and estrogen-fueled puberty worsens them. There is some evidence base for this being a phenomenon but I don’t have any references handy. I haven’t seen anyone give a mechanical basis for it either, but it can happen.
My own asthma went from being crippling to an inconvenience after puberty #1 and stayed an inconvenience until puberty #2 when it worsened somewhat again. It’s never been as bad as it was when I was a kid since puberty #1 though.
Current Global Initiative for Asthma treatment guidelines for asthma recommend avoiding rescue inhaler use as much as possible, managing it as an inflammatory airway condition with inhaled corticosteroids and adding scheduled long-acting beta agonists if symptoms aren’t well-controlled. Albuterol overuse can worsen symptoms over the long run.
Sources to come if I can find them and have the time!
I trust you. I feel bad to make you look for them.