Breathing is something we do on a daily basis and can take for granted. For asthmatics, breathing normally is appreciated every moment. Asthma is a disease that affects a person's lungs and air passageways and can make it difficult for him or her to breathe. Asthma affects approximately 20 million people in the United States. It is a disease that has no known cure, but there are many ways to treat asthma and suppress its symptoms. Air purifiers can help. Asthma is a disease that consists two main components: 1) constriction and 2) inflammation both occur in the lung passageways. Constriction is when the airways narrow due to muscles tightening around them, and inflammation is when the airways get irritated and begin to swell. When these actions happen concurrently, they trigger asthma symptoms, such as difficulty breathing and swelling of the lungs. A person experiencing an asthmatic attack will typically have trouble catching his or her breath and usually coughs and wheezes in an effort to breathe.

Asthma attacks can occur at any time. While some simply seem like a shortness of breath, other attacks can be severe. Due to the varying characteristics of the disease, one may be unaware of having asthma and the need to treat it. If asthma goes untreated, a serious danger is the decrease in lung function. The disease makes a person's lungs work harder and without treatment, and asthma sufferer will have weaker lungs. There are many contaminants in the air that can be asthma triggers. air purifier remove smokeSome of the contaminants include pet dander, allergens, pollen, dust, and chemicals. air purifier liquidWhen these substances are breathed in, asthmatics are sometimes affected and experience difficulty breathing. air purifier birdsSeasonal allergies may also lead to an asthma attack.

However, the toxins found in indoor air can easily be filtered out with an effective air purifier. There are simple things that can be done to prevent asthma attacks, such as not smoking tobacco products in the home and dusting all furniture regularly. Air purifiers are proven to be the most effective way to keep indoor air clean and safe. High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters that are used in air purifiers are effective at absorbing most toxins in indoor air that can be related to asthma attacks. They are able to remove 99.7% of all particles that are 0.03 microns and larger. Particles include pollen and dust particles, which are the main cause of asthma attacks among sufferers. If indoor air pollutants are not removed from the air, they will circulate a room with no escape. The pollutants are then breathed in and can cause a severe or minor asthmatic attack. An air purifier absorbs these particles, so they cannot be circulated throughout the air. A review of indoor air pollutants published by the American Thoracic Society, states that air purifiers containing the HEPA filter are able to remove a significant amount of particles from indoor air, making the air safer to breathe.

Asthmatics who use an air purifier in their home are less likely to experience an asthma attack since the pollutants that trigger the attacks are no longer present in the indoor air. There is no known cure for asthma, and people diagnosed with the disease most often must deal with it for their lifetimes. However, with the help of air purifiers, people find their asthma attacks become a rare occurrence instead of a daily struggle. By eliminating particles in the air that trigger attacks, air purifiers are helping people with asthma to cope with their daily lives.Will an Air Cleaner Help Me Breathe Easier? This content is selected and managed by the Healthgrades editorial staff and is brought to you by an advertising sponsor. This content is created or selected by the Healthgrades editorial team and is funded by an advertising sponsor. The content is subject to the Healthgrades medical review process for accuracy, balance and objectivity. The content is not edited or otherwise influenced by the advertisers appearing on this page except with the possible suggestion of the broad topic area.

For more information, read the HealthGrades advertising policy. Though there are many steps you can take to help with your COPD, when it comes to air-cleaning devices, they are a supplemental step, not the solution, to breathing easier in your home. According to Janice Nolen, Assistant Vice President, National Policy, for the American Lung Association, air cleaners should be used only after controlling the sources of potential pollutants and dealing with ventilation issues in your home. “Air cleaning devices are not capable of dealing with the larger problems, such as nitrogen oxide emissions from your gas stove, or the humidity that’s created in your bathroom,” says Nolen. “If you’ve addressed the other ways of dealing with air pollution in your home, and you still have a problem, then adding an air filter might help.” Here are some steps you can take to  control air pollution in your home: Never allow cigarette smoking. Address any moisture conditions or leaks, and keep the humidity below 50% to avoid things like mold and dust mites.

Remove potential chemical pollutants, such as cleaning products. Replace them with products that are free of scents or gases. Make sure your home is well-ventilated. Be sure your heating and air conditioning system are working well. Open your windows when you need to. Make sure your bathroom has a vent that pulls moist air out. If using a gas stove, be sure emissions from the stove are vented out. If, after dealing with potential pollutants and ventilation, you are still experiencing problems, an air-cleaning device may provide some relief. “But they are very limited in what they can do,” notes Nolen. “A lot of them deal with particles, but many of the particles people are most sensitive to are heavy and fall quickly, so they are not in the atmosphere very long.” Here’s a good place to start: Consider the type of filter. The American Lung Association recommends an air-cleaning device with a mechanical filter, preferably a HEPA filter. But these filters can’t remove gases, so if you’re concerned about gas emissions, you need to look at filters with absorbents, such as activated carbon.

Keep in mind, they won’t remove all gas pollutants, and the filters need to be replaced frequently and can be expensive. Avoid anything that produces ozone. The filters that produce ozone (such as ionizers), intentionally or as a byproduct, are very harmful, according to Nolen. “Ozone is an air pollutant that can harm people and doesn’t need to be in the air.” Consult the EPA's Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home for more information about the different types of air-cleaning devices and potential limitations. /healthy-air/home/ for more guidance on indoor air at home. Healthgrades Operating Company, Inc. May not be reproduced or reprinted without permission from Healthgrades Operating Company, Inc. Use of this information is governed by the Healthgrades User Agreement. Clean Air and COPD, COPD Foundation. /clean-air-and-copd/EPA’s Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home, Environmental Protection Agency. /wp-content/uploads/2012/07/EPA-Guide-to-Air-Cleaners.pdfCOPD Lifestyle Changes, American Lung Association.