Bedcover barriers to house dust mites appear to reduce asthma flare–ups in children, according to researchers in England reporting study results in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The study enrolled 284 children, ages 3–17, with asthma who tested positive for mite allergy after suffering an asthma exacerbation that required being treated in the emergency room or as an inpatient. The researchers found that children sleeping with the mite–proof covers were less likely to have an exacerbation that resulted in an emergency room visit or hospital admission and less likely to require systemic corticosteroids.

The mite–proof covers did not significantly reduce the number of children whose exacerbation was treated outside the hospital with only an oral corticosteroid. The authors said it was unclear why this was the case but speculated that bedcovers did not prevent the exacerbation, but did reduce its severity.

The article is titled, "Preventing Severe Asthma Exacerbations in Children: A Randomized Trial of Mite–Impermeable Bedcovers."