Did you know that asthma affects 1 out of every 13 people? That’s about 25 million people in the United States alone!
While there is no known cure for asthma, it can be effectively managed through a variety of lifestyle considerations. People affected by the disease know that excess dust, too much humidity, and other air quality concerns are all causes of asthma symptoms. Avoiding these bodily stressors can help someone with asthma manage a majority of their symptoms.
A little-known fact is that exposure to cockroach allergens can make asthma symptoms much worse. But how exactly do roaches and asthma interact? And if you’re allergic to roaches, what can you do to keep the roaches from triggering your asthma?
Keep reading to learn why roaches are triggering asthma, and how preventing roach allergens can help you lessen the impact of asthma symptoms on your life.
Roaches and Asthma
Wait, isn’t asthma something that people are born with? How do cockroaches affect asthma?
Cockroaches move into your home, and they crawl around. They leave behind droppings and shed their exoskeletons. These body parts and excretions are what make people allergic to roaches.
All of these body parts and excrements are light enough that they start to float around in the air. This gives them direct access to your airways.
Breathing in these roach droppings can cause a stuffy nose, watery eyes, and an itchy rash or redness for most people. People with asthma may also develop chest pain, intense coughing, and difficulty breathing.
People who have asthma are the most likely to experience severe symptoms in relation to allergens from cockroaches. The longer the symptoms and flare-ups go untreated, the more severe they will become.
Early exposure to living spaces with cockroach debris and allergens can also cause young children to develop asthma, sometimes for life.
How Doctors Determine You Have a Cockroach Allergy
There’s no way to tell for certain that you have a cockroach allergy unless you get tested by a doctor. Some folks may never need a diagnosis, but for others, it can provide peace of mind. It may even alert you that there are cockroaches living in your home that you need to remove!
First, your doctor will ask you some questions about your home conditions and your symptoms. They’ll be looking for signs that you have year-round allergies and or/asthma. They’ll particularly be looking for symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, post-nasal drip, difficulty breathing, and other similar symptoms.
If your doctor suspects that you have a cockroach allergy, they’ll order more tests for you. They may ask you to take a skin or a blood test to confirm that you are allergic to roaches.
For the skin test, the doctor will apply a small amount of the cockroach allergen to your skin and wait for a few minutes to see if a reaction develops. If your skin starts to swell, becomes red, or starts itching, you likely have a cockroach allergy. The doctor may also test for other allergens while performing the cockroach allergen test.
Your doctor might also ask for a blood test to determine whether you have a cockroach allergy. In this test, the lab will be looking for Immunoglobin E antibodies in your blood. The more of these there are in your blood, the more likely it is that roaches are triggering your asthma.
How to Prevent and Eliminate Cockroach Allergens
Cockroaches like warm, moist living environments. The best way, therefore, is to get rid of as many warm and moist areas in your home as possible.
Clean your kitchen sink and bathroom regularly. Make sure that there are no leaky pipes below the sink or behind the toilet. Avoid keeping pet food out in the open.
Keep the lid on your trash can tightly closed, and take out your trash at least once a week. Do not leave dirty dishes sitting in the sink. Clean all food spills and scraps from the floor immediately.
Use a dehumidifier in your basement and in any other dark, damp places in your home. Fix any and all leaky pipes.
Sometimes, the skin cells and fecal matter of roaches can stick to fabrics. If you buy secondhand furniture or clothing, make sure they are extra clean before you bring them into your home. Steam clean the furniture and remove any dust or cobwebs.
It’s more likely that cockroaches will live in your home in the winter than the summer, so pay extra attention to signs of a cockroach infestation in the cold months. The best way of preventing roach allergens is to prevent roaches from moving into your home in the first place.
Once cockroaches have moved in, you may need to contact a pest control company to do a deep clean on your home. They’ll scrub and disinfect all the hard and soft surfaces in your home.
Cryonite: A Solution for Your Home or Workplace
If regular cleaning and dehumidifying aren’t enough to keep the roaches at bay, consider investing in Cryonite. This is one of the best solutions for getting rid of pest infestations for good.
The environment-friendly solution freezes insects to death with carbon dioxide. The solution is safe to use around electronics and even people.
Gone are the days of needing to evacuate your home or office building in order to get rid of the bugs. Just use the patented technology of the Cryonite system, and your pests will be gone before you know it!
Invest in Cryonite to Keep the Roaches from Affecting Your Asthma Ever Again
Treatments for asthma can’t make the condition go away. But these in combination with maintaining an allergen-free lifestyle can go a long way toward managing daily asthmas symptoms.
Roaches and asthma don’t have to be a killer combo in your life. Take the steps above to reduce the number of cockroach allergens in your home, and you’ll be well on your way to living life with fewer symptoms and less stress.
Ready to get rid of the pests in your life for good? Check out our shop or book a call with an expert to see if Cryonite is right for you.