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I have asthma or RAD (reactive airway disease): cold air is my trigger
Asthma & Allergy | Last Active: Nov 14, 2021 | Replies (10)Comment receiving replies
Hello, and welcome to Mayo Connect. You are presenting an unusual set of circumstances, but temperature sensitivity with reactive airway disorder (RAD) is quite common.
How long have you had the diagnosis of RAD? Did it begin as an exercise-induced situation? When did the unusual temperature sensitivity begin? What do you do to manage it?
The reason I am asking specifically is that for many years, I had exercise-induced RAD and asthma in high-temperature/high humidity situations. My doc at the time had "never heard of high-temperature RAD" and I'm sure she believed it was psychosomatic. But use of my albuterol rescue inhaler resolved it.
Then my daughters, both of them with mild asthma, began cross country skiing competitively, one had intermittent RAD at very low temperatures (and more severe, persistent asthma), the other NEVER skiied a race without an attack until her 5th year of competing. Curiously, inhalers resolved her attacks, and she reacted less as the season progressed each year.
Now for the interesting part - last year, for the first time in 10 years, I spent the winter in the cold climate of Minnesota. As part of coping with the pandemic, I took my grandsons out to play in the cold every day while their Mom worked from home (daycare was closed.) At first, because none of us was vaccinated, we wore masks full-time, even outdoors. After vaccine, we decided to forego masks, and I began to experience bronchospasm on any day when it was dry or windy - but it went away if I put on my mask!
Is it possible you have been wearing a mask so much, keeping the air to your lungs warm and moist, that a normal 70F, low-humidity day is causing them to perceive cold and to spasm? What happens if you wear a mask outdoor when it is cool?
Curious to hear from you.
Sue
Replies to "Hello, and welcome to Mayo Connect. You are presenting an unusual set of circumstances, but temperature..."
I have actually preferred to keep my mask on for that reason and also as a barrier against allergens.
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Hi Sue, I was quite glad to hear from you recently. I have never communicated with someone who had RAD before and also am new to this web site. My situation is unique. I am 79 years old and live in the San Francisco East Bay and during the fires in No. California, over a year ago, I felt so house bound and took a fatal hike, less than one hour, in the hills on a "bad air day." Even though the sun and clouds were in the sky, something told me it was not a good idea! Suddenly with no warning at all..my throat and pulmonary tubes clammed up. Very scary and also I had to walk back to my car. I have had several pulmonary function tests since Sept. 2020, which always show above normal function for my age. I breathe fine at night and mostly during the day with medication. Interesting that I never have coughed or had any wheezing. Except for complications due to cool air last winter and also having a very high pulse rate in the fall last year taking Albuterol with the fires and bad air, etc. even while inside my home, I avoided taking albuterol while having 4 heart tests in December by a cardiologist to confirm that my heart was OK. Also, largely due to Covid, I was unable to get consistent advice and prescription from pulmonologists (and there were many phone calls!) to treat my problems successfully until May this year when I started taking Symbicort 160, recommended by my ENT physician. (Flovent, Anoro, Singular, and other meds did not seem to help with breathing and often seemed to made breathing more difficult and also I really NOT understand the pulmonary tubes and how constriction could cause your airways to re-model, etc.) I should have. Frequently for a period until May, I would suffer a lot from constriction until my pulmonary system returned to normal on its own to avoid using albuterol. Any cool air was a trigger that got worse over winter when it was hard to stay inside the house. As I said before, now I am extremely sensitive to air temps. even at 70 degrees with a breeze and also since getting a new refrigerator in August, the dry air coming out when you open the doors, brings on tickling in my throat..so sensitive, and followed by some pulmonary constriction. I hold my breathe now, scary but I am getting used to it. I am house bound at present with cooler air and it is difficult for me to look back today at some photos taken exactly two year ago today when I was hiking up above Machu Picchu!! Thank you again for inquiring about my situation. I appreciate your interest and concern in my history.