Asthma–Triggers

Do you know what triggers asthma attacks? If you have asthma, then shouldn’t you know the response?

Asthma is a chronic lung condition characterized by breathing difficulties.  Persons with asthma have extra sensitive and/or hyper-responsive airways. During an asthma attack, the airways become irritated and react by constricting and narrowing, causing increased resistance, and obstructing the flow of the air passages to and from the lungs.

The terms “trigger factors,” and “triggers” of asthma are used to describe the things that can cause an attack in someone who already has asthma.

Many things can bring on, or trigger, an asthma attack, and the triggers and causes differ greatly from person to person. Cats and dogs  cause attacks in some people. While for others, cold air, exercise, tobacco smoke and even laughing can trigger attacks. Some people with asthma report that the asthma attacks are worse when they are under stress,  upset or anxious. Some people get asthma if they take aspirin or other painkillers, and some get asthma from dust at work or fumes.

Bad asthma attacks, which force people to go into hospital, often happen after a virus infection of your chest or nose.

The most ordinary triggers for asthma include:

Allergens* Dander from the hair, skin,  or feathers of animals, such as cats, dogs, etc.

*  Dust mites (found in house dust)

*  Pollen from trees and grass

*  Mold (outdoor and indoor)

*  Cockroaches

Irritants

*  Cigarette smoke

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*  Air pollution

*  Cold air (for instance, if you move from warm indoor air to cold outdoor air.

*  Strong odors from painting or cooking

*  Products that are scented

* Irritants or allergens  that you may be exposed to at your work such as special chemicals or dusts.

Others

*  Breathing tests. Just as the fast breathing in exercise can bring on attacks, the deeper and faster  breathing you have to do for most breathing tests can bring on quite a noticeable narrowing of air passages, and can bring on an asthma attack.

*  Methacholine aerosols or Histamine.  Physicians use an inhaled mist of these substances to measure how irritable your air passages are. In asthma,  they are more irritable than usual.  During asthmatic or allergic reactions, the cells in the lungs release histamine. Methacholine  copies the effect of a substance (acetylcholine) released by the nerves in the lung during asthma. Both substances cause an attack in anyone who breathes enough of them, but persons who have asthma will get an attack from a much smaller amount. In the test, the amount of asthma produced is small and bearable, and it wears off rapidly. The result gives a very useful measurement of the irritation in an individual’s airways.

*  Irritants in asthma inhalers. Several powder inhalers can cause a small amount of chest tightness. Aerosol inhalers require to have a lubricant and this can cause irritation of air passages, and can bring on an asthma attack.

*  Some drugs, especially beta-blockers (used for heart disease or high blood pressure).

*  Medications or drugs such as aspirin and other painkillers.

*  Sulfur dioxide, previously used as a preservative in wine and soft drinks. Drinking, or even inhaling the air above such a drink, can cause chest tightening within seconds.

*  Sulfites in wine or in dried fruit. For instance, sodium metabisulphite (E220–227) may trigger asthma, but not via an allergic reaction. It can be found in  home-brewed beer, carbonated drinks, wine, prepared meats and prepared salads.

*  Indigestion, with stomach acid rising into your gullet. This is called acid reflux or gastro-esophageal reflux. This causes heartburn and worsens asthma symptoms, especially during nighttime.

*  Infections of the lining of the breathing passages, such as flue and colds.

*  Laughing or crying

*  Exercise

*  Strong emotional reaction. Persons with asthma often say that their asthma gets worse if they are upset, crying or under stress.

This is not an absolute list of the things that can trigger asthma.

Additionally, people differ in which of these things causes the most asthma, and some people may have trouble with one or more of the triggers. It is important that you identify what triggers your asthma, so that you can minimize or avoid your exposure to it. Your physician can help you with this.

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Filed under: Asthma