Asthma is a chronic lung condition in which the airways become inflamed, which causes them to narrow and makes it harder to breathe. Some of the symptom of asthma include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath.

For some people, their asthma is worsened when exposed to certain triggers or situations.

Allergens

Some people have a type of asthma called ‘allergic asthma’. When they’re exposed to things they’re allergic to (also known as allergens), their immune system reacts by producing inflammation and muscle tightness around their airways, leading to the characteristic symptoms of asthma.

Some common allergens that may trigger asthma include:

• Animals pets or rodents
• Dust mites
• Pollen
• Cockroaches
• Mold

Certain healthcare professionals, such as an allergist, can help people with this type of asthma narrow down their specific allergens.

Irritants

There are certain substances in the environment that may bring on symptoms of asthma because they irritate the airways, leading to an asthmatic immune response. Most of these irritants are found in the air, and once they are breathed into the airways they may trigger an asthma flare up.

Some of these irritants include:

• Wood fires
• Charcoal grills
• Smoke
• Air pollution
• Strong fumes
• Chemicals
• Dust

It may be beneficial for people with asthma to wear a face covering when they know they’ll be exposed to these irritants if they’re usually a trigger.

Tracking asthma triggers

It can be hard to pinpoint triggers for conditions that flare up like asthma. Keeping a record of your symptoms and how they change could be beneficial in helping you identify what makes them worse, so that you can learn more about how asthma affects you personally.

Human Health is a free mobile app designed to help patients track their symptoms, and provides meaningful insights about how they change over time. The app also has the capability to send you treatment reminders, making conditions like asthma easier to manage.

Click here to download Human Health.

Weather

Certain changes in the weather can have an impact on asthma symptoms. For example, exposure to sudden temperature or weather changes, particularly cold air, or wind, can trigger some people’s asthma.

A particular phenomenon called ‘thunderstorm asthma’ has been described, where the combination of high pollen in the air, high humidity, and a thunderstorm can mean that people with asthma are at risk of a flare-up. The lightning from the storm can break the pollen into tiny particles that can enter and irritate the airways more easily, which is made more likely with strong winds. Some weather channels will put warnings out in advance if thunderstorm asthma is likely.

Physical activity

For people with and without asthma, sometimes exercise or other physical activity can cause the muscles around the airways to tighten, making it harder to breathe. This is called exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. It can usually be managed with treatments, so that people who experience this don’t need to avoid physical activity.

Feelings and behaviors

Breathing changes that happen as a result of feeling strong emotions, such as anger, sadness, and fear, may affect the functioning of the airways which could trigger asthma. Laughing and crying may also have a similar impact.

Medicines

There is a type of asthma known as NSAID-induced asthma, which is triggered by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Common examples of NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, and celecoxib.

A type of heart medication called beta blockers, which includes drugs like propranolol and metoprolol, can make asthma symptoms worse or harder to control, and can sometimes cause coughing.

Other conditions

Having an underlying or other medical condition may make asthma symptoms more pronounced or worse. This may be because the immune system, the body’s defence mechanism against illness and disease, is heavily involved in producing the hallmark narrowing of the airways in asthma.

Some common conditions that may exacerbate the symptoms of asthma may include:

• Sleep apnea
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Food allergies and anaphylaxis
• Reflux
• Nasal polyps
• Pregnancy
• Hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle or throughout menopause
• Respiratory infections like colds and the flu
• Obesity

We hope this post helped you learn more about common triggers for asthma. If you think someone you know could benefit from reading this post, please share it with them! We’d love for our resources to reach those who need them.

Resources

1. World Health Organization. Asthma: Key facts. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/asthma
2. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. What Are Asthma Triggers? Available at: https://aafa.org/asthma/asthma-triggers-causes/
3. Better Health Channel Victoria. How to avoid your asthma triggers. Available at: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/avoiding-asthma-triggers
4. Better Health Channel Victoria. Medications - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Available at: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/medications-non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory-drugs

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