Does a cool air humidifier help prevent asthma?

Answer 1

My mom was admitted last week for lung failure. She was diagnosed with emphysema/copd from years of smoking. She is not allowed to go around sick people, breathe in cold air dust chemicals... ect. She cannot smoke again. She is on quite a few different bronchial meds. Dialaters, steroids , breathing treatments. Also 24 hour oxygen. The lung specialist before discharging her took her completely off ventalaters, and oxygen. Within a bit of time immidiatly her blood/oxygen level began to drop. He stopped testing when it hit low 70% Mind you this was within minutes of time. he said she needs a humidifier. The air has to be moist because she is on oxygen which dries you out along with the other meds. Moisture in the air when not needed can potentially help to flood the lungs rather than help to break up thick mucus and expell it. I would take a lung specialist recommendations first. If its not needed it could be more life threatening than helping. It can also create a nice place for bacteria to grow. Follow a doctor's advice when treating a lung disease. They had first discovered my moms lung problem 2 months ago but missed the severity of it. They put her on a cpap machine. During her sleep she would remove the cpap mask. Her oxygen level would drop to 64 to 70 percent which is lethal. At 70% her blood was taken and it was black from lack of oxygen. At that percent you can pass out. If you pass out and you are alone death is going to happen. She almost died last week because of this situation.

Answer 2

Yes. Dry air can irritate nerve endings in the lungs which can cause inflammation, which in turn causes the airways to constrict. Humidifiers disperse additional moisture around the living space allowing easier breathing.