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Should thunderstorm asthma be incorporated into asthma action plans?

Some data was presented at ACAAI 2025 showing thunderstorms in the Midwest associated with increased asthma ER visits and hospital admission, especially in pollen allergic patients.
3 Answers
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Allergy & Immunology · University of North Dakota School or Medicine and Health Sciences
Answered on

Thank you for the ongoing dialogue around thunderstorm-associated respiratory events. These episodes represent not just allergen exposure but a combined aeroallergen–irritant phenomenon involving pollen fragmentation, fungal spore surges, PM2.5 downdrafts, ozone shifts, and the priming effects of pr...

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Allergy & Immunology · Emory University Hospital
Answered on

I, too, found the abstract presented by Diala Merheb, MD and colleagues interesting. See highlights here: Thunderstorms Linked to Surge in Asthma ER Visits, New Study Shows - ACAAI Patient. I think it is a great thought to put "thunderstorms" under possible triggers on action plans. Since most actio...

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Allergy & Immunology · University of Mississippi School of Medicine
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While I think the theory behind thunderstorm asthma is both intriguing and plausible, the data for this diagnosis is really population-based and, to my knowledge, no specific risk factors have been posited that would a priori identify individual patient susceptibility, particularly if generally cons...

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