Environmental Triggers Of Asthma



Posted: Monday, October 12, 2009

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Asthma is a condition that affects millions. There are many factors that contribute too asthma symptoms but environmental factors seem to be the most overlooked. There are several environmental causes of asthma and I will discuss several common ones as well as give some advice on how to control these environmental triggers.

Avoiding environmental irritants and allergens is a very important factor in controlling asthma symptoms. These environmental irritants can be the primary causes of asthma attacks in some people. The primary allergens are pollen, animal dander, mold and certain chemicals. The primary irritants are dust, smoke, gas fumes, and chlorine. All of these things can trigger hyper responsiveness in the airways and cause asthma symptoms in some individuals.

Studies have been done and it appears that indoor triggers may play an even more important role than outdoor pollutants in the development of asthma. The most common indoor pollutants are biologic allergens which are dust mites, animal dander(from pets, mice, rats) and cockroaches. Cats have been shown to cause a greater allergic reaction than any other animals. By doing your best to avoid these triggers you can control your symptoms effectively. Many products are made to control dust mites and you can have a positive effect by just keeping your sheets, blankets, and pillow cases clean.

The other major indoor trigger is cigarette smoke. This one is very simple to alleviate - Don't Smoke! If you must have a cigarette than smoke outdoors but you will still have smoke on your clothes when you come back in. Children are very susceptible to asthma symptoms from tobacco smoke so be sure to keep your child away from any cigarette smoke.

Over the last several years, outdoor air pollution has increased and has been associated with the large increase in asthma incidence in recent years. If you live in a metro area it can be difficult to avoid these pollutants especially if you work outdoors. Just do your best to try to avoid things such as traffic smoke by keeping your windows up as you drive.

All of these environmental causes of asthma that have been discussed can contribute to your symptoms. When you develop an asthma control program with your doctor, which I recommend, make sure to keep these environmental factors in mind. Depending on where you live, the triggers will differ but just make sure that you are aware of your environment and the things that could be sabotaging your asthma treatment plans.

If you enjoyed this article about the environmental causes of asthma, you might want to check out the following articles also - Medications For Asthma and Treatment For Bronchial Asthma

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