High altitude has been on my mind a lot lately as my relocation to Denver creeps–this particular move is such a long, wearying process that I do mean creeps–closer. The first and only time I visited Colorado, my daughter had no breathing problems although I had prepared for them. Of course, that back in July 2008 and I’m actually moving in the middle of winter, my kid’s most challenging season no matter where we live.
The big news between altitude and asthma is the cold, dry air. Colorado is very dry anyway, of course, with its semi-arid climate, and when we first live there it will probably seem even drier to us, coming from super-humid northwest Florida. Now, moist air is easier on the lungs and bronchial tubes than dry air, but too much moisture (read: humidity) triggers asthma in lots of people. AG’s one of them, but only when humidity approaches 100% and if she’s active outside.
I have no idea how this kid’s spazzy lungs are going to react to living in high altitude year-round, but here’s a summary of the research I found:
1. At least one piece of research from Greece in 2001 points a significantly lower rate of asthma in children who live in the mountains versus those who live at sea level. However, smoking was more prevalent at sea level. Also, these results were obtained through questionnaires, while the ones below came through examination.
2. Research in 2004 found high altitude lessening the severity of asthma symptoms in children with atopic (allergic) disease when it was used as a kind of rehab during 4-week stays.
3. This 2008 German study reports a reduction in asthma symptoms for patients with both atopic and non-allergic asthma. Like the 2004 research above, this bit investigated the effect of visiting high altitudes rather than living in them permanently.
4. Finally, research from Austria in 2007 found higher rates of hospitalization for atopic asthma patients who live in higher altitudes.
What does all this mean for my kid? Well, one encouraging sign: the only study (#4 on the list) with a link between worse asthma and high altitude was for atopic patients, not intrinsic ones like AG. Yet of the three studies that support high altitude’s positive impact on asthma symptoms, two focused on patients who stay at high altitudes temporarily rather than those who live there year-round, and the third one (#1 in the list) got its results through self-reporting rather than clinical investigation.
Add those observations to my kid’s main triggers (illness, dust mites, strong emotions–especially hard laughing or crying), and I think her asthma could go either way. Fewer dust mites because of Denver’s climate can only help her, while colder, drier air during the worst season for respiratory illness doesn’t inspire my optimism.
I get a lot of email asking me what to expect in high altitude and what it’s like to live with asthma in Colorado, and there’s just no telling. Talk to me a year from now, when I’ve spent the winter a mile high with my own asthma kid, and I’ll let you know.
One of Alorah’s worst triggers is very cold dry air, as well as humidifiers (oh goodness, we tried one and it was a disaster!) so I don’t drop her off in the morning until just before the bell rings. By first recess it is a bit warmer. We have always lived at high altitude. Living here is why Vance had to be on 02 for a month. If he had been born at sea level he would have been fine. I don’t know if it would be different with mine at low alt./high humidity. We have been to Omaha and they both had issues, so I’m guessing it would be quite an adjustment.
Altitude became an issue for me on Mt. Rainier and doesn’t appear to be changing. It was the same at Crater Lake and the same in the Sierras. I do my best hiking when I stay below 5000 feet. I know part of it has to do with the climb and part the fact that I live pretty much at sea level, but at Crater Lake we drove up and I was merely strolling around at 7000 feet. I hope your AG does spectacular… but as a mom and an asthmatic I worry a little…
I lived in Colorado twice, briefly. One time was up in the mountains. Although I didn’t have allergy symptoms at that time in my life, I did suffer from a few weeks of bloody noses. So make sure everyone’s well moisturized, because once they started, they were hard to stop.
But the trade-off was the fact that the whole damn state is beautiful, and the people were lovely, and I really enjoyed my time outside. If anyone ever gets a case of the sniffles, take a trip to the Celestial Seasonings factory in Boulder. They have a room where they store all the mint, and man, that clears you out like nothing else.
I move between a high-altitude province and a low one a few times a year because of where I go to school. I am always way better controlled at high altitude, I’m assuming because of reduced allergens such as dust mites.
Cold dry air is definitely a huge problem at high altitudes though. To deal with that I just always keep my mouth and nose under a scarf when I am outside.
Of course, only time will tell for AG. Good luck!!
Thanks for the input, everyone–these poor FL children of mine have always lived in hot weather, at or below sea level. Let’s just say I’m glad we’re moving now, when the kid is almost 10 and stable, rather than when she struggled all the time.
Either way, it IS a gorgeous part of the country, and I can’t wait to get there (with plenty of inhalers on hand, of course).
altitude, exercise and cold air are a few triggers- but very controllable. don’t hike in the cold wind at RMNP!!
Hi Jean–I moved to the Denver area in February, actually. This post is from last January. We love it here and were happy to discover the cold and high altitude don’t trigger my daughter at all (she’s more of an intrinsic asthma kid). We’ve even taken her hiking above 10,000 ft. outside Breckrenridge, and her lungs adapted beautifully!
We live at 8500 ft and my daughter goes to school at 9500. We actually moved briefly to lower altitude, 5400 because we had a doctor tell us altitude was not helping her asthma. Right now she is doing great, she takes a couple medications and her asthma is controlled, I think that is key. We spent many nights in the emergency room and trips to National Jewish in Denver.
My brother has chronic asthma and is not able to successfully live in Denver (he tried). I have no understanding as to why anyone with asthma would ever move here. I’ve never seen so many oxygen tanks in my life. I know an older couple who was ordered by their doctor to move to a lower atlitude due to breathing troubles. I never, never had problems with allergies until I moved here, plus now I actually have to use an inhaler for the first time in my life! I’ve lived here 6 years and I can hardly stand the climate. My oldest brother came to visit. He has mild asthma and was triggered in the short time he was here. We have bought humidifier after humidifier to help with my allergies and my 3 daughters. My brother’s asthma calmed when we shut him in a bedroom with 2 humidifiers. My SIL developed a sinus infection and was only relieved when she utilized a direct face humidifier. This place is awful. Unless it was a matter of job and feeding the family, I would advise no one move their child with asthma here. It isn’t worth it.
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