Asthma Triggers often bring on asthma attacks. A trigger is any thing or condition that causes inflammation in the airways, which then leads to asthma symptoms. Your personal triggers can be very different from those of another person with asthma. But in every case, it's important to avoid your triggers in order to keep airway inflammation to a minimum and reduce the symptoms.
Nitrogen Dioxide is an odorless gas that can be a byproduct of indoor fuel-burning appliances, such as gas stoves, gas or oil furnaces, fireplaces, wood stoves and unvented kerosene or gas space heaters.
Dust mites are tiny, microscopic spiders usually found in house dust. Several thousand mites can be found in a pinch of dust. Mites are one of the major triggers for people with allergies and asthma. They need the most work to remove. Use an allergy control solution, a cleaner that can kill the mite allergen. Check with your doctor or pharmacist about what cleaner to buy.
Stuff in the air, also called irritants are different from allergens because they bother people who don't have allergies or asthma, too. For most people, irritants aren't a serious problem, but for people with asthma, they can lead to flare-ups. Common irritants include perfumes and aerosol sprays, such as hair spray and cleaners. Other irritants include wood and tobacco smoke, the smell given off by paint or gas, and air pollution.
Cockroach body parts, secretions and droppings, and the urine, droppings and saliva of pests, such as rodents, are often found in areas where food and water are present.
Other asthma triggers can include cold air, extreme emotional arousal such as anger or fear, and physical exercise. In some people, asthma can even be triggered by certain medications, such as aspirin and other non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, and beta-blockers (which are used to treat high blood pressure, heart conditions and migraine). Urbanization has also been associated with an increase in asthma; however the exact nature of this relationship is unclear.
The magnitude of response to the same level of allergen exposure can vary considerably between individuals.
Exercisemay be the only trigger for some children with asthma. Along with allergens, this is one of the more common triggers. In fact, 80% to 90% of people with asthma develop symptoms when they exercise. It can be a particular problem in people whose asthma isn't well managed. But this is one trigger that your child shouldn't avoid because exercise is important for overall health.
Make your car and home smoke free; ask people who smoke to go outside. Opening windows and doors will not protect your child from tobacco smoke. Avoid taking your child to smoky places and women should not smoke when pregnant or breastfeeding.
Pollen can triggers asthma symptoms in some children, although it’s rare for children under five to have asthma that’s triggered by pollen. If you notice that pollen is a trigger for your child, try to: Keep your eye on the pollen count so that you’re aware of days that could pose big problems. Talk to your family doctor before the pollen season starts, so that you can get the right medication beforehand.
Reactions to industrial irritants may occur suddenly or take years to develop. Substances known to trigger asthma episodes in susceptible people do so through either an immune response or through irritation of air passages.
Tobacco smoke, whether directly or passively inhaled, has been shown to have harmful effects on the airways. Wood smoke from wood-burning heating stoves and fireplaces can release irritating chemicals such as sulfur dioxide.
