Allergen avoidance in asthma: What do we do now?

Although allergen exposure can clearly aggravate the condition of sensitized patients with asthma, there is uncertainty and controversy about exactly which allergen avoidance interventions should be recommended to patients with asthma. Interventions that appear logical may fail to be clinically efficacious for several reasons. Although narrow interventions, such as allergen-impermeable mattress covers to reduce exposure to dust mite allergens, may offer little benefit if used alone, recent evidence suggests that a multifaceted, home-based environmental intervention focusing on multiple exposures may provide clinical benefits to patients with asthma. The role of allergen avoidance in infancy in the primary prevention of asthma is a subject of active investigation, but data remain too preliminary to make public health recommendations in this regard.

Key words: Asthma, allergen avoidance, environmental control measures, dust mites, cockroach allergen, pet allergen

Abbreviations used: HEPA, High-efficiency particle arrest, RCT, Randomized, controlled trial