Does the synthetic content in pillows and duvets increase the risk of serious asthma?

Traditionally, patients suffering from asthma have been advised to quit down duvets and pillows and start using synthetic duvets and pillows. Løvik stresses that this general advise has been based on tradition and belief, not on empirical research and analysis.

Løvik’s article refers to a British research and a research from New Zealand examining the content in sleeping pillows and duvets, exploring whether the content contributes to the issue of serious asthma. The researches to which Løvik is referring are;

1.Strachan DP, Carey IM.
Home environment and severe asthma in adolescence; a population based case-control study. BMJ 1995; 311:1053-6

2. Kemp TJ, Siebers RW, Fishwick D, O’Grady GB, Fitzharris P, Crane J.
House dust mite allergen in pillows. BMJ 1996; 313:916

The first and British article focuses on British children suffering from serious breathing problems. Two factors were significantly related to the problems. Living fur-coated pets increased the problems. Pillows filled with down had a significant protective effect in comparison to pillows with synthetic content.

The second research, from New Zealand, compared down pillows and synthetic pillows’ ability to increase the risk of severe asthma, and concludes that synthetic pillows may contain as much as 8 times more allergens from mite than down filled pillows, and the allergy to mite is the major problem.

A surprising piece of information in this research is that both pillows with polyester filling and pillows with down filling had the same type of pillowshell made of down proof cotton textile. This rules out earlier statements saying that more loosely woven pillowshells in synthetic pillows make it more penetrable and thereby attract more mite.

The significant factor is the content of the pillow. Since there is a significant statistic relation/connection between asthma and allergy towards house dust mite, synthetic pillows should be avoided by people with allergies or asthma. This conclusion of course also applies to down duvets versus synthetic duvets, even if pillows are much closer to your airways. More info....