What cause of Asthma ?

Common Triggers Explained

No one really knows what causes asthma. What we do know is that asthma is a chronic inflammatory
disease of the airways. The causes can vary from person to person. Still, one thing is consistent: When
airways come into contact with a trigger, they become inflamed, narrow, and fill with mucus.

How Asthma Attacks Happen

When you have an asthma attack, your airways narrow and it gets hard to breathe. This can result from
spasms of the muscles around the airways, inflammation and swelling of the mucosal membrane that
lines them, or high amounts of mucus inside them. You might have shortness of breath, wheeze or
cough as your body tries to get rid of mucus.

Why do you have asthma and your friend doesn't? No one knows for sure. Allergies play a role for many
people, as do genetics.

If you or a loved one has asthma, it's important to understand what your triggers are. Once you figure
that out, you can take steps to avoid them. As a result, you’ll have fewer and less severe asthma attacks.

Asthma Triggers

Some known triggers of asthma attacks include:

Allergies

Food and food additives

Exercise

Heartburn

Smoking

Sinusitis

Medications

Weather

Smoke
Allergies Can Cause Asthma

Allergies with asthma is a common problem. Eighty percent of people with asthma have allergies to
things in the air, like tree, grass, and weed pollens; mold; animal dander; dust mites; and cockroach
droppings. In one study, children with high levels of cockroach droppings in their homes were four times
more likely to have childhood asthma than children with low levels. An allergy to dust mites is another
common asthma trigger.

If you have asthma that’s hard to control, see an allergist to find out if you have allergies. Treating your
allergies with medication and avoiding your triggers can help lower the odds of a severe asthma attack.

Food and Food Additives Trigger Asthma

Food allergies can cause mild to severe life-threatening reactions. They rarely cause asthma without
other symptoms. If you have food allergies, asthma can be part of a severe, life-threatening reaction
called anaphylaxis. The most common foods associated with allergic symptoms are:

Eggs

Cow's milk

Peanuts

Tree nuts

Soy

Wheat

Fish

Shrimp and other shellfish

Salads

Fresh fruits

Food preservatives can trigger isolated asthma, especially sulfite additives, like sodium bisulfite,
potassium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, potassium metabisulfite, and sodium sulfite, which are
commonly used in food processing or preparation.

Clues that suggest reflux as the cause of asthma include the start 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, they may recommend specific tests to look for it, change your
foods, or offer medications.

Smoking and Asthma

People who smoke cigarettes are more likely to get asthma. If you smoke with asthma, it may make
symptoms like coughing and wheezing worse. Women who smoke during pregnancy raise the risk of
wheezing in their babies. Babies whose mothers smoked during pregnancy also have worse lung
function. If you have asthma and you're a smoker, quitting is the most important step you can take to
protect your lungs.

Sinusitis and Other Upper Respiratory Infections

Much like asthma causes inflammation in the lining of your airways, sinusitis causes inflammation in the
mucus membranes that line your sinuses. This makes the membranes put out more mucus. If you have
asthma and your sinuses get inflamed, your airways may too. Prompt treatment of a sinus infection can
relieve asthma symptoms.

Infections and Asthma

Cold, flu, bronchitis, and sinus can cause an asthma attack. These respiratory infections that trigger
asthma can be viral or bacterial. They're a common cause of asthma, especially in children under age 10.
You may be more likely to have an attack for up to 2 months after an upper respiratory infection.
Anywhere from 20% to 70% of adults with asthma also have sinus disease. Also, 15% to 56% of people
with allergic rhinitis (hay fever) or sinusitis also have signs of asthma.

Medications and Asthma

Many people with asthma are sensitive to certain medications that can trigger an asthma attack. If you
have asthma, you need to be aware of what other medications may be triggers. You don’t need to avoid
these medications unless you know that they’re triggers. But if they have never triggered your asthma, it
is still best to take them with caution because a reaction can happen at any time.

Below is a list of the most common medications known to trigger asthma or related symptoms.
However, if you are prescribed any medication that you think may be causing your asthma to get worse,
discuss it with your doctor.

Aspirin and other painkillers. About 10% to 20% of people with asthma have sensitivity to aspirin or a
group of pain relievers called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and
naproxen. These drugs are often used to treat pain and reduce fevers.
Asthma attacks caused by any of these medications can be severe and even fatal, so people who have
known aspirin-sensitive asthma should avoid them completely. Products with acetaminophen are
generally considered safe for people who have asthma, but you should still talk with your doctor about
whether to use them. For some people, there is a small possibility that acetaminophen may trigger an
asthma attack.

If you have an aspirin sensitivity, it is important that you read labels of all over-the-counter medications
used to treat pain, colds and coughs, and fever. Also, inform your doctor so that these medications are
not prescribed for you. If you have any questions about whether a certain medication could trigger your
asthma, seek advice from your doctor.

Beta-blockers. Beta-blockers are commonly prescribed medications used to treat heart conditions, high
blood pressure, migraine headache, and, in eye drop form, glaucoma. Your doctor must determine the
need for these medications, and you can take a few trial doses to see if they affect your asthma. It is
important that you inform all of your health care providers that you have asthma. This includes even
your eye doctor.

Examples of beta-blockers are Corgard, Inderal, Normodyne, Pindolol, and Trandate.

ACE inhibitors. These are used to treat heart disease and high blood pressure. These medications can
cause coughs in about 10% of the patients who use them. This cough is not necessarily asthma. But it
can be confused with asthma or, in the case of unstable airways, can actually trigger wheeze and chest
tightness. If you are prescribed an ACE inhibitor and develop a cough, speak with your doctor.

Some ACE inhibitors are Accupril, Aceon, Altace, Captopril, Lotensin, Mavik, Monopril, Prinivil, Tarka,
Univasc, Vasotec, and Zestril.

If you have severe asthma, talk to your doctor about any medication you’re considering taking, even if
it’s an over-the-counter medication. If you know that you're sensitive to particular drugs, make sure
your doctor notes the problem on your chart. Always talk to your pharmacist about this reaction before
you start a new medication.

Other Asthma Triggers

Irritants. Tobacco smoke, smoke from wood-burning appliances or fireplaces, strong odors from
perfumes, cleaning agents, etc., can all trigger asthma. So can air pollution, workplace dust, or fumes
from chemicals.

Weather. Cold air, changes in temperature, and humidity can cause an attack.

Strong emotions. Stress and asthma are often seen together. Anxiety, crying, yelling, stress, anger, or
laughing hard can bring on an asthma attack.
How Do Triggers Make Asthma Worse?

When you have asthma, your airways are always inflamed and sensitive. They react to a variety of
external triggers. Contact with these triggers is what causes asthma symptoms. Your airways tighten and
get more inflamed, mucus blocks them, and your symptoms get worse. An asthma attack can start right
after exposure to a trigger or several days or even weeks later.

Reactions to asthma triggers are different for each person and vary from time to time. Something may
bother you but not others with asthma. You might have many triggers while they have none. And while
avoiding triggers is a good way to control asthma, the best way is to take medications and follow
treatments exactly as prescribed by your doctor in your asthma action plan.

How Can I Tell What Causes and Triggers My Asthma?

Figuring out what was going on around you when you had an attack is the first step to identifying your
triggers.

Your doctor may also do blood testing or ask you to use a device called a peak flow meter. It measures
how much air you exhale and how quickly it comes out. It can alert you to changes in your breathing and
the onset of asthma symptoms.

Ask your asthma doctor if using a peak flow meter would help you narrow down the causes of your
asthma.

It can be tough to identify them all, and they can change. For example, you might not have been
bothered by tree pollen when you were a child, only to have a problem with it as an adult.

Even when you know your triggers, you might have a hard time avoiding them in certain situations. For
example, you may notice that your workplace is cleaned with a cleaning product that bothers your
lungs.

That’s why it’s so important to work closely with the doctor who treats your asthma. They can help you
think of strategies to avoid triggers, or at least cut down on the amount of time you spend near them.
They can also make sure you have the right medication when an asthma attack does strike.
Know When to Get Help

Warning signs of a potential asthma attack include:

Needing more rescue inhaler medication (such as albuterol).

A cough that gets worse.

Feeling like you can’t breathe or like someone’s sitting on your chest.

Waking up at night feeling like you can’t breathe.

Not being able to be active or exercise without getting winded or wheezing.

Use your asthma rescue inhaler medication as soon as you start to feel an attack come on. If it doesn’t
seem to work and you feel like you still can’t breathe, call 911 so you can get to an emergency room
right away.

If you have a steroid medicine at home (such as prednisone), you can take it on your way to the ER.