Most asthma triggers fall into one of two categories: allergens or irritants. Tobacco smoke is what is known as an irritant. This means that it does not stimulate any type of allergic reaction in sensitive people, but it further irritates already inflamed and irritated airways, worsening the asthma and triggering asthma symptoms.
Not only is breathing tobacco smoke harmful to people known to have asthma, but some studies have suggested that children whose mothers smoke are much more likely to develop asthma themselves. So it is a risk factor as well as an irritant.
Other studies suggest that teens who smoke at least 300 cigarettes a year also increase their risk for developing asthma by as much as 4 times.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health states that tobacco smoke is the most crucial indoor irritant in an asthmatic's environment. They go on to say that people who have asthma should not smoke or ever be exposed to passive tobacco smoke.
Research has proved that being exposed to primary or secondhand smoke causes the following problems for people who have asthma:
- Decreased lung function
- Increased need for asthma medicine
- Missed school & work days
Breathing even a small amount of secondhand smoke can be enough to trigger severe asthma symptoms in sensitive people. So, it's important to avoid tobacco smoke as much as you possibly can.
Source: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma (Expert Panel Report) from the National Institutes of Health/national Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. <www.nhlbi.gov>
Gilliland, FD, Islam T, Berhane, K, Gauderman, WJ, McConnell, R, Avol, E, and Peters, JM. Regular smoking and asthma incidence in adolescents. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Vol 174. pp. 1094-1100, (2006).
