How Ladybugs May Be Contributing to Your Asthma Attacks
While ladybugs are cute and beneficial insects when they live outdoors, they are actually a serious trigger for allergic reactions and asthma attacks. This likely surprises many people, but it is a fact that more people need to know in order to avoid serious asthma attacks during the cold winter months.
Ladybugs Move Indoors During The Winter
When the weather turns cold, ladybugs will move indoors to survive the winter. While most will typically try to hide in out-of-the-way places, this won't matter to anyone who suffers from a ladybug allergy. A shocking survey found that about 50 percent of the population may have an allergy to these beetles. This increases their risk of having an asthma attack severely.
In another study, it was found that allergies to ladybugs are continually on the rise across the nation. Remember that asthma attacks are essentially allergic reactions to a negative trigger. As a result, ladybugs moving indoors have become an increasingly common cause of serious asthma attacks, especially if the person comes into direct contact with the ladybug.
Dead Ladybugs Can Serve as an Aggravating Factor
The worst thing about ladybugs and asthma attacks is that direct contact isn't even necessary to make them an aggravating factor. In fact, dead ladybugs may cause an even bigger risk for asthma attacks than living ones. Why? After they die and start to decompose, these broken body parts will join dust and other items in your home to form a serious allergen.
These allergens will be nearly invisible, but inhaling them can cause a serious asthma attack, especially if the person is allergic to ladybugs. That's why it's necessary to manage this problem by getting ladybugs out of your home and understanding how to treat asthma attacks as they occur.
Managing the Problem Is Two-Fold
First of all, you need to manage your ladybug problem by not only eliminating them from your home, but by cleaning their corpses as well. A professional exterminator, paired with a dust-cleaning expert, will help you manage this problem by eliminating both living and dead ladybugs from your home. You can help by vacuuming up and ladybugs you find lurking in your home.
Now you need to invest in asthma attack medicines, such as oral corticosteroids, and keep them stored around the house in safe areas. This helps keep treatments available for those moments when asthma attacks occur. They can also help during the period when you're eliminating ladybugs from your home and haven't quite gotten them out yet.
By following these simple guidelines, you can help eliminate a dangerous allergen that may lead to excessive asthma attacks in your home. Talk to asthma treatment centers like Cookingham Allergy & Asthma Associates, P.C. about this problem to learn more about how to manage it.
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