How to keep asthma under control with a face mask?

Fitting mask: a just-in-time solution to cut-off air borne asthma triggers

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Disclaimer: Asthma triggers are various and depends on patients. This article is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care professional regarding any medical questions or conditions.
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Many asthmatic patients are given a prescription drug and inhalers to control their asthma condition. While these medications are helpful to control the symptoms of asthma, some patients prefer to limit the use of medicine to avoid potential side effects. Recent research also question the conventional wisdom of using “preventive” drugs to control asthma.

If you belongs to the non-drug camp, you may consider using a fitting face mask to block air-borne asthma trigger “just in time” to prevent it from flare out of control.

Asthma triggers can be broadly divided into 4 categories:
- air borne triggers (irritants, allergens, cold air)
- allergic triggers (non air borne, i.e. cockroaches)
- psychological triggers (stress, strong emotion)
- physiological triggers (exercise, excessive laughing, crying or even sneezing)

 

Airway contracted under asthma attack

A great portion of asthma attacks are triggered by air borne stimuli. Triggering stimuli such as irritants, allergens or simply cold air enters the air way (bronchial) causing a strong reaction, inflammation and/or narrowing of the airway tubes that leads to breathing problems. Most asthma attacks are mild, but even people with mild asthma can have a fatal attack. More than 5,000 deaths a year in the USA are attributed to the condition.

Perfect face seal is a pre-condition for cutting off air borne triggers

Symptom avoidance is a well know strategy for asthmatics. It is possible to cut off or reduce air borne triggers with a properly fitted filter mask (respirator). However choosing a suitable face mask can be a complicated issue.

There are two types of portable respirators in the market: reusable respirators and disposable respirators. High quality reusable respirator provides a better fit, but it is more bulky and less likely to be carry around, reducing the usefulness. Disposable respirators are more compact but can be easily distorted after use. This can affect the face-fit in subsequent use. Both types of respirators require a “fit-test” by professional to ensure a proper fit. However, it is not possible to conduct a “fit-test” each time when the mask is needed. Therefore the fit quality during use remains as a mystery.

Above dilemma is finally solved by TOTOBOBO mask, in a remarkably simple and intuitive way. First the transparent respirator allows you to see through the mask clearly and decide if the mask fits or not. Such visual check is easy to achieve each time when you need to put on the mask. Secondly, the mask can be trimmed to suit any unique face, including children’s. Finally the high quality reusable mask can be folded flat and fits into a shirt pocket, carry around and ready for the action whenever it is needed.

Currently TOTOBOBO mask is the only solution providing Easy fit-check, Customized fit and “Pocketability”. These are important factors if cutting off air borne triggers is in your plan against asthma attack.

Do consult your physician to come up with an overall plan for your own situation. You may consider TOTOBOBO mask as part of your overall strategy to reduce, but not to replace the use of medicine. A small percentage of patients’ asthma triggered by high moisture air might become worse after putting on a mask.

Below are some of the asthma triggers:

Air borne triggers

Irritants:
• Cigarette smoke
• Air pollution
• Cold air or changes in weather
• Strong odors from painting or cooking
• Scented products
Allergens:
• Animal dander (from the skin, hair, or feathers of animals)
• Dust mites (contained in house dust)
• Cockroaches dropping
• Pollen from trees and grass
• Mold (indoor and outdoor)
Cold air

Allergic triggers (non air borne)

• Cockroaches
• Mold (indoor and outdoor)
• Artificial sweetens
• Animals

Psychological triggers

• Stress
• Threaten
• Anger
• Shock

Physiological triggers

• Exercise
• Laughing
• Crying
• Sneezing

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More information:

Detail list of asthma triggers

Asthma may not require daily medication

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Testimonial from Teresa Lam, Hong Kong (edited March 28, 2008)
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“After trying the mask for a few weeks, I can say the TOTOBOBO mask does feel very comfortable. I’m quite positive that the mask had helped to reduce my asthma. The masks I used to use were not very air tight so most air I inhale would have gone through the side of the mask instead of any filtering.”

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Why TOTOBOBO is transparent? – lessen learnt from post-Hurricane New Orleans

The protective function of a respiratory mask is built on two foundation; first the filter media must be able to let the air in but stop unwanted contamination. Second, a mask has to fit the face of the user tightly so that no air by-pass the filter media and enters the breathing zone directly. Modern technology provides filter media with very high efficiency. However, ensuring a mask fitting a user’s face is not a simple affair. Many users are puzzled if the mask they are wearing really fit their face.

Mask-face-fit testing is the job for an expert, and it require special equipments. There is QUALITATIVE fit test procedure based on subjective senses of the user. Then there is QUANTITATIVE fit test procedures based on objective measurement, comparing the particle counts inside and outside of the mask. Unfortunately, for a typical user, non of these fit test procedure is simple to do. In the US, NIOSH recommended such fit test to be conducted for each user once a year, or when the user’s body weight changed by more than 10%. Fit test can tell if the mask fit the user during the test, but unless the user do this test each time putting on a mask, he or she can can not be sure if the mask really is fitting during use. So far, fit testing procedure are limited to occupational workers. For general public, they don’t have the equipment nor the knowledge to conduct fit test.

In a recent study titled “Respiratory Donning in Post-Hurricane New Orleans” published on the CDC website in May 2007, researchers found only 24% participants demonstrated proper donning. This suggested the protection for at least 76% mask-wearing public would be compromised. Due to the experience of the Post Hurricane clean up, this is a group of user with higher level of knowledge about mask wearing. It is not difficult to imagine, this will be a big challenge for any emergency response when the public need to wear a fitting mask to ensure each other’s safety. CDC has been reluctant to recommend N95 mask for the public use, because for 1 in 4, the N95 mask may provides a fault sense of security while the it is not doing it’s job due to poor fit.

As the designer of TOTOBOBO mask, I try to solve this problem of fit-uncertainty in a different way. Previous fit-test procedure is needed because the user can not tell if a mask is properly sealing his face. Even when a mask looks like it is covering the nose and the mouth, there may be gaps underneath the mask which is difficult to see. The uncertainty is due to the fact that the mask is not transparent. Now what if the mask IS transparent? Then the user will be able to see if it fits right away, fitting or not, very clear and no more uncertainty. This simple method combines with a soft transparent material made mask-face fitting a lot more intuitive and with greater certainty.

With TOTOBOBO solution, it is now possible to perform a face-fit check every time before entering a potentially contaminated area. I think this is more reassuring than relying on a once-a-year fit test.