Asthma Prevention & Asthma Triggers

Understanding Asthma Triggers Is A Key To Asthma Prevention

Asthma Prevention- Knowing Your Asthma Triggers Is Key

Nearly just as important as knowing the symptoms of asthma, identifying your asthma triggers is key to asthma prevention and avoiding problems with your asthma. Asthma triggers may include:

• Indoor triggers
• Outdoor triggers
• Foods
• Exercise
• Respiratory infections
• Medications

Indoor Triggers

Americans spend as much as 90% of their life indoors. As a consequence, indoor allergens can play a significant role in worsening asthma. Identifying these indoor allergens affecting your asthma could lead to significant improvements by either avoiding the trigger or developing a plan to deal with the trigger. You and your healthcare provider can develop a plan to deal with all of the following asthma triggers.

• Secondhand Smoke: Secondhand smoke or environmental tobacco smoke consists is a mixture of both the smoke irritants exhaled by smokers of cigarettes, pipes or cigars and from the burning tobacco. Environmental tobacco smoke contains more then 250 different cancer causing chemicals such as benzene, vinyl chloride, and arsenic that may irritate the lungs airways and lead to asthma symptoms.
• Dust Mites: Dust mites are small insects in every home that cannot be seen with the naked eye. The dust mites feed on tiny flakes of skin found on bedding products (mattresses, pillows, bed covers), carpets, upholstered furniture or anything covered in fabric, and your child's stuffed toys. Dust mites can both trigger asthma symptoms or lead to asthma symptoms in people without a previous history of asthma.
• Mold: Molds can grow anywhere where moisture is present. Molds commonly grow inside on wet damp surfaces like bathrooms, kitchens, and basements. If molds are a problem in your home, controlling moisture may lead to better control of your asthma.
• Cockroaches and other Pests: Body parts, urine, and droppings of cockroaches and pests contain specific proteins that can trigger allergy symptoms. It is essential to remove hiding places for pests and keep countertops and other exposed areas free from food and water.
• Pets: Allergens from your pets dead skin, droppings, urine, and saliva can trigger asthma. The best way to prevent pets from worsening your asthma is to not allow your pets in your home. If this is not possible, it is best to have a pet free area, such as the bedroom, and to clean your house frequently, especially rugs, upholstered furniture, and stuffed toys and animals.
• Nitrogen Dioxide: Nitrogen dioxide is a gas that comes from gas stoves, fireplaces, or gas space heaters that can irritate the lungs leading to shortness of breath.

Outdoor Triggers

During the spring and fall airborne pollens and molds commonly trigger asthma symptoms.

• Pollens: Pollens are small, powdery, granules, that are essential for plant fertilization. Weather conditions greatly influence the amount of pollen in the air. Pollen season will vary depending on where you live, but generally lasts from February through October. Pollens from many different kinds of grasses, plants, and trees may trigger allergy symptoms.
• Molds:There are many molds in the outdoor environment that become airborne, but unlike pollens, do not have a particular season. Many outdoor molds can be found in the soil and outdoor vegetation.
• Weather:You may notice that the weather significantly affects your asthma symptoms. On days that are hot dry and windy, pollen counts will likely be higher and you may experience more asthma symptoms. Rain may also lead to increased molds that may worsen symptoms. On the other hand, days that are cloudy with very little wind, you may notice only minimal asthma symptoms. Because you cannot avoid weather like allergens, you must have effective treatment for your asthma.

Medications

A number of different medications may trigger your asthma. If you believe any medication is worsening your asthma, talk with your doctor. Some of the most common are:

• Pain medications- aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen
• Beta blockers

Certain foods

Certain food allergies may also trigger your asthma. These reactions are more common in infants and children. Some of the most common are:

• Fish
• Shellfish
• Soy
• Egg
• Wheat
• Peanuts
• Tree nuts such as walnuts

Your doctor may ask you to keep a food diary to help determine if specific foods are worsening your asthma or you may undergo allergy testing to help get a diagnosis.

Exercise

If you notice symptoms like wheezing or coughing while exercising, you may have exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, commonly referred to as exercise-induced asthma. About 5% of the U.S. population has exercise induced asthma and will benefit from getting a diagnosis and the appropriate treatment.

Respiratory infections

The common cold, influenza and other respiratory infections may trigger your asthma. While you cannot always prevent a cold, you can make sure you wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your nose or mouth while in public when around someone with a cold, and get appropriate immunizations.

Figuring Out Your Triggers

In order to determine your asthma triggers, you may need to act like a detective. If you go to your neighbor's house and begin playing with their cat and start wheezing, the cause is fairly obvious. However, it may not always be that easy. Asking yourself the following questions may help:

1. Do the symptoms occur primarily at home or at work? This may indicate that there is an environmental component you need to find like molds, dusts, or odors.
2. Do the symptoms fluctuate with the season? This may indicate a more allergic condition such as allergic rhinitis or hay fever.

While identifying the triggers may not always be easy, doing so will help you breathe easier.