I happened to overhear a conversation that I thought was quite interesting. A Japanese paediatrician who was an expert in asthma was asked about asthma that particularly develops after the summer. His answer was quite enlightening.
I thought and assumed that most allergies would be as a result of the pollen in the air at that time. But he said that 80 to 90% of all asthma is caused by a reaction to house dust. Particularly house dust that from house mites.
He said that in the summer, the mites flourish because of the humid atmosphere in the house. So after the summer ends, and the air becomes more dry, they die off en masse. This means that in your bedding and soft furnishings there are many more mites that have died which increases the dust and thus the allergens greatly. This is why there is a peak of seasonal asthma at this time of the year.
He also said that mites really like the oil from feathers. So if you have feather down based bedding (including clothing) then they are feasting inside. So unless you cover your bedding with (expensive)specialised anti-mite covers you probably need to wash it more often after the summer at least for a few months or consider replacing it with a non-feather based products.
He also mentioned the importance of keeping up medicine that treats/prevents asthma because asthmatic attacks cause long lasting damage to the lungs which takes a long time to heal. So it is much better to prevent them completely than to just treat the asthma when it is at its worst. I.e. it’s better not to have any attacks at all if you can.
by stuartcw