Asthma Causes and Triggers (Part 1)

No one really knows the causes of asthma. What we do know is that asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. The causes of asthma symptoms can vary for different people. Still, one thing is consistent with asthma: when airways come into contact with an asthma trigger, the airways become inflamed, narrow, and fill with mucus.

When you have an asthma attack, spasms of the muscles around the airways, inflammation and swelling of the mucosal membrane lining the airways, and excessive amounts of mucus contribute to airway narrowing. This makes airway resistance increase and the work of breathing more difficult, causing shortness of breath, cough, and wheezing. You may have coughing with asthma because of the irritation inside the airway and the body’s attempt to clean out the accumulations of thick mucus.

So why do you have asthma and your friend doesn’t? No one really knows for sure.

If you or a loved one has asthma, it’s important to understand the many asthma triggers. Once you identify and reduce exposure to the specific triggers or causes of asthma, you can take an active role in controlling your asthma and reducing the frequency of asthma attacks. For example, if you find that allergies are the cause of your asthma, you may have allergic asthma. Being aware of allergies and avoiding them can significantly help in asthma prevention by reducing the frequency or severity of asthma attacks. Or if environmental pollution seems to cause your asthma, it’s important to stay indoors during periods of heavy air pollution. Try to find the specific triggers or causes of your asthma, and then plan to avoid these triggers and have better asthma control.

Here are the most common asthma triggers:

Allergies Can Cause Asthma

Allergies with asthma are a common problem. Eighty percent of people with asthma have allergies to airborne substances such as tree, grass, and weed pollens, mold, animal dander, dust mites, and cockroach particles. In one study, children who had high levels of cockroach droppings in their homes were four times more likely to have childhood asthma than children whose homes had low levels. Asthma exacerbation after dust exposure is usually due to dust mite allergy.

Food and Food Additives Trigger Asthma

While it’s not common for food allergies to cause asthma, food allergies can cause a severe life-threatening reaction. The most common foods associated with allergic symptoms are:

• Eggs

• Cow"s milk

• Peanuts

• Soy

• Wheat

• Fish

• Shrimp

• Salads & fresh fruits

Food preservatives can also trigger asthma. Sulfite additives, such as sodium bisulfite, potassium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, potassium metabisulfite, and sodium sulfite, are commonly used in food processing or preparation and may trigger asthma in those people who are sensitive.

Exercise-Induced Asthma

Strenuous exercise can cause a narrowing of the airways in about 80% of people with asthma.

These symptoms usually subside in the next 20 to 30 minutes of exercise, but up to 50% of those with exercise-induced asthma may have another asthma attack six to 10 hours later.

Heartburn and Asthma

Severe heartburn and asthma often go hand-in-hand. Recent studies show that up to 89% of those with asthma also suffer from severe heartburn, known as gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD generally occurs at night when the sufferer is lying down. Normally a valve between the esophagus and stomach prevents stomach acids from backing up into the esophagus.

Certain clues that suggest reflux as the cause of asthma include the onset of asthma in adulthood, no family history of asthma, no history of allergies or bronchitis, difficult-to-control asthma, or coughing while lying down.

If your doctor suspects this problem, he or she may recommend specific tests to look for it.

Source: webmd.com

Other links:

What Is Asthma? (Part 1)

What Is Asthma? (Part 2)

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