What are the causing factors for asthma?

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that minimizes the ability to breathe properly. In asthma the patients feel obstructions in the inflow & outflow of air in airways (bronchi) that carry air into lungs. Asthma can be acute or chronic depending on the severity of patient’s condition. If you notice these symptoms (coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest squeezing) then you need to consult your doctor. The symptoms of asthma may not noticed until triggered by something that provokes a response in the body such as cold air, illness, certain medicines, exercise, stress, irritants in the air or an allergen.

Allergens are the substances that does not cause any problem to most of the people but generate an abnormal reaction in some others. When anyone (who is sensitive to a particular allergen) comes in contact with that allergen, his/her immune system takes it as a foreign substance & release chemicals to deal with it. For asthmatic persons, these chemicals can cause an asthma attack. The asthmatic person feels it difficult to breathe because of squeezing of airways and they may start coughing or wheezing. The asthmatic causes vary from asthmatic person to person but some of the common factors have listed below. Let's have a look at "What are the causing factors for asthma".

What are the causing factors for asthma?

· Irritants in the air such as smoke, fumes from chemicals and harsh odours.

· Weather conditions such as flus, cold air or extremely dry, colds, wet or windy weather and some other illnesses. 

· Indoor allergen such as pet dander, dust particles and molds.

· Outdoor allergens such as pollen from grass, trees and weeds.

· Exercise (although asthmatic person may benefit from certain exercises).

· Extreme stress level.

· Viral respiratory infections (including flu) are the root causes of acute asthma attacks. 

· People who have the problem of heartburn can experience asthma symptoms when stomach acid backs up into the esophagus.

· Approximately 20% of people with asthma are sensitive to aspirin. Asthmatic people should consult with their allergist whether they can avoid these products that contain aspirin such as ibuprofen.

· Beta blockers that often prescribed for high BP, glaucoma, migraine headache, angina etc. can cause bronchospasm. Bronchospasm is contraction of airway. Asthmatic people should consult with their allergist whether they can use these medicines or not.

· Food additives cause asthma in very rare cases. The most common food additive that can cause asthma is sulfite. Sulfite is a preservative used in such products as frozen potatoes and some beers & wines.