A teenager is benefiting from a radical breakthrough in life-improving treatment for asthma and allergy sufferers.

Fourteen-year-old Mohammed Atif, of Third Avenue, off Killinghall Road, Bradford, is the first person in the district - and one of only 100 people nationally - to have his house treated by Alpine Environments, a Yorkshire-based company.

The company has pioneered a method for eliminating the house dust mite, one of the most common triggers of this debilitating and potentially fatal condition.

The company is now working on projects in Bradford, Leeds, Huddersfield, Kent and Newcastle to enable asthma sufferers to benefit from its system and to show how it could help reduce the annual £2.3 billion cost to the NHS of treating asthma patients.

Clinical trials have already proven it to reduce the allergen levels of dust mites in the home and a four-fold improvement in the breathing quality of the trial patients.

Atif, a pupil at Laisterdyke Business and Enterprise College, is one asthma sufferer who has benefited from the system.

About six weeks ago his home was treated and he has already reported to his doctor Eduardo Moya, a consultant paediatrician for Bradford Teaching Hospitals, an improvement in his breathing.

Atif has a severe form of asthma which was diagnosed when he was three and greatly affects his quality of life. A particular problem for him was getting a good night's sleep as he was constantly wheezing.

He said: "It is hard living with asthma. When I try to play football I get breathless straight away.

"From the age of nine I have needed to go to hospital two to three times a week."

However, since his home was treated he says his condition does seem to have eased and he is getting a better night's sleep and has been able to attend school more regularly - which will help him to achieve his ambition of becoming a doctor.

Dr Moya said: "Asthma was affecting his schooling, his sleeping and activities and he was having lots of visits to hospital and his GP." He had tried many medications to try to help Atif but nothing seemed to work so when he heard about the Alpine treatment from a colleague in Leeds he put Atif's name forward. Dr Moya said: "Atif has since told me he seems to be sleeping better. I think it is early days but it seems to help."

The treatment involves testing the asthma suffer for allergic reactions to the house dust mite, cats, dogs and grasses.

If the test is positive the next stage is to undertake a home survey, particularly of soft furnishings and bedding.

Then all mattresses are heated to over 100 degrees C. Steam is injected to counter harmful allergens and the mattress is then reheated, dried, sealed and covered in best quality mite proof covers. Duvets get the same treatment and pillows are replaced.

A ventilation system is installed in the home to reduce humidity to 55 per cent or lower, below which the house dust mite cannot survive. It costs about £1,000 to treat a home though bigger houses cost more.

Eddie Lumley, a director of Alpine Environments, said: "Our well-insulated centrally-heated homes are the perfect environment for the house dust mite to thrive."