I recently was rushed to an urgent care facility, after getting too close to a co-worker who had just returned from a smoke break. I was in urgent care for two hours before they gained control over what happened. In my history of asthma, it had never gotten so severe, so quickly. I never had numbness in my face or hands from an asthma attack. I felt an immediate reaction to breathing in the third hand smoke. My doctor thinks there had to be another trigger. Please advise.
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Q: Can an adult have a severe asthma attack from third hand smoke?
Answers (1)
10/29/09 1:32am
Great question.
The best article I've ever read about third hand smoke is this one. I wouldn't think that third hand smoke alone would cause a severe asthma attack. However, if there was already something going on in your lungs that caused you to have increased inflammation there, I could immagine just about any of your asthma triggers, even third hand smoke, could have set it off. You have to realize that the more inflammation you have in your airways the more sensitive your lungs will be to your triggers. With asthma it is quite often difficult to know exactly what triggers an attack, or all of a sudden makes asthma worse, especially after it has been controlled for a long time.
So while I really don't have a direct answer to your question I hope the links above help.
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By rhouse— Last Modified: 12/17/10, First Published: 10/22/09
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I am a asthma patient and I seem to have breathing problems with anything that is a very strong odor; such as paint, perfume, strong odors. I can detect when someone is wearing strong perfume. I seem to get attacks when the weather is cold, such as in the winter. That sounds crazy, but that's when I have more problems with my breathing.