© 2024 KUNR
Illustration of rolling hills with occasional trees and a radio tower.
Serving Northern Nevada and the Eastern Sierra
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
KUNR’s spring fund drive is happening now, and your gift to the station will go twice as far with a matching pledge from the KUNR Advisory Board!

Now is the time to act –
click here to make a gift to KUNR today or increase your sustaining membership and have it matched.

Smoke In Reno Is A Health Risk For People With Asthma

The lingering widespread haze caused by California wildfires combined with high temperatures this week can be a health risk for people with asthma. Reno Public Radio’s Anh Gray explains.

Dr. Sonia Budhecha is with Renown Medical Group. She says asthma is most common in children and is a condition when the bronchial tubes, or airways, get obstructed.

“The smoke itself, the particulates in the air, when they’re the smaller size particulates, especially, they can very easily penetrate those airways,” Budhecha says, “and they can irritate the airways enough to actually have one of those asthma attacks.”

In addition, several days of exposure to smoke can start inflaming the airways.

“Typically the early signs of an asthma attack can be a lot of coughing,” Budhecha says, “followed by shortness of breath and audible wheezing.”    

Budechea says conditions like the dry climate, temperature changes, and the prevalence of pollen and dust are contributing factors to the high incidence of asthma in Northern Nevada.

Anh Gray is a former contributing editor at KUNR Public Radio.
Related Content